As Time Goes By
by KinReynard
Summary: Time has passed since we last saw our intrepid detectives and they have moved on with their lives, have families and careers. The only problem for their kids is history seems destined to repeat itself. Rated for Violence/Language. Rating subject to change
1. When In Rome

-AN: Welcome one and all to a rewrite of my popular old story All In The Family, I sincerely hope some of you are coming over from my old account! To those of you who have, I've ditched the old mythology of this fanfic and changed around the characters, so expect to be surprised. To those of you who have no clue what I'm saying… just ignore this and skip down to the disclaimer. I will try and update semi-regularly with this fanfic, a girl can hope right?

-Discliamer: As usual, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho but the OC's are courtesy of me and my old writing partner Eri. Thanks and enjoy!

It's 15 minutes until school starts. Instead of being up, dressed and on the way to my class, I'm still sleeping. Completely unaware that time is passing me by.

"Keichi??"

I don't respond at first, still being dead asleep. In light of the events that will follow this morning, I should simply stay in bed.

"KEICHI!!"

It's the second time around my father calls my name that I awake with a start, taken aback by the sheer volume. The man has impressive lung power. Rolling off my mattress, I land rather gracelessly on my shoulder. Rubbing it, I lament how it's going to bruise when I hear the voice of my father once more.

"Keichi, was that you?? Are you awake yet!?"

"Yes," I mutter under my breath, exhausted from the sudden exercise falling out of bed gives one.

"KEICHI?!?!?!"

"YES!! I'm UP!!" I roar, stumbling to my feet like some two-bit horror zombie. The lack of sleep is evident in my sudden inability to remain upright. Holding onto the back of my desk chair for support I blearily began to assemble the uniform for my school.

"Good, you have 5 minutes to get to class."

Now, as you might remember, I have 15 (actually 14 at this point…) minutes, but my father knows two things about me. One is that I am never on time unless led to believe I am going to be late; and two, that the only clock I own ran out of batteries long ago and I have forgotten to replace them every day since then. Finally fetching the blazer to my uniform, I shove my arms through the sleeves and race out of my stuffy bedroom. Halfway down the stairs I hear my father's voice once more, smug. I have forgotten something.

"Don't forget to eat breakfast," he reminds me, and with a quick turn on my heel, I spin to head up the stairs. Timed perfectly as usual was a piece of bread that freed itself from its rather toasty confinement. Catching it, I smile and wink with a salute of my food.

"Got it. Thanks, I'll see you whenever!" I call out as I run out the door, shoes untied and toast clamped between my teeth. Forget the fact that the school is clear across town, I have three things on my side. First and foremost, I am always late and therefore always running. If I was the type to get involved in team sports, I suppose I would have been a cross country, or track and field coach's dream. Second, I know this town _better_ than I know the back of my hand and can take every shortcut available. Of course, those two things can only cut my time down in half, just enough for me to miss half of my first period. No, the real defining factor was that I am not human. Oh sure, I could pass myself off as one… after all when in Rome, it's best to look like the freaking Romans. Careful to stay out of the prying eyes of the city folk, I would make this same run daily through the back streets at speeds that would make any athlete jealous.

The only problem with going fast is trying to stop. No matter how much traction my trainers have, I will always end up leaving tread marks behind on the pavement. Normally this problem isn't troublesome. Normally. On this day though, I am met with an obstacle I honestly am not expecting. Bent over to tie his shoe is a student I haven't seen before. Despite my best efforts I immediately ram into the poor sod, sending him and the books around his feet flying into the air. I don't fare so well myself and end up upside down and slammed into a tree. Groaning, my ankles are around my ears before I roll to my side to stand. My first impression is to yell at the newcomer for being my way but seeing him pat around the grass for his glasses makes me feel something akin to pity. Picking up the battered metal frames I give a low whistle and it's odd to note that the metal is ice cold, despite the heat of the oncoming summer.

"I think the term 'coke bottle' describes your lenses," I announce, holding them out to the boy who takes them gratefully. The lenses aren't thick, but seeing as how they bend the light, I assume he's as blind as a bat. He stands, revealing his superior height much to my eternal distaste. Lanky, he's at least a year or two younger than me but it's hard to tell. Curly hair the color of glacial ice is teased back from his thin face and once he puts his glasses on I want to snigger. A perfect mook of a student, he epitomizes the book worm.

"… Thank you…" he mumbles as he picks up his books. Finishing the last of my toast, I help a little. The familiar scent off the boy warns me he's a half breed. It had been 10 years since the news of Youkai hit the streets of Ningenkai. Some think it's a blessing… I just find it damn annoying. Now every fight on T.V. is about whether or not they have the same rights as humans. Personally, I don't care.

That isn't to say I don't have a stake in it. Like I said before, I have demonic lineage. I just don't flaunt it. Unlike the barrage of half demons that are all the rage, I'm the real deal. I got that from my father in every aspect. Perhaps if I wanted to, I could come out for the cause, fight for my Youkai brothers and sisters, but I'll be damned if I feel any pity for them. As I said earlier, I plan to blend in. I've been living among them long enough and I pass off as a pretty damn good Roman, so to speak.

"You new here?" I ask casually, though I already know the answer. I'm still stuck on the kid's damn blue hair. Speaking as somebody who's made it this long without drawing suspicion, having some giant walking about with THAT hair color… it draws attention. Of course with the given tendency for those goth and punk subcultures to wear their hair in neon rainbows, I suppose the boy wouldn't draw too much attention. In fact, he'd be a damn good Roman himself and his aura was barely noticeable if only he'd give a little effort and buy some hair dye. I give a fake grin at the boy, concealing my disgust for his obvious… uniqueness… easily.

"Y-yes, actually. I just moved here a few days ago," the blue-haired kid replies quietly. His voice is laced with an accent I can't quite place and is deep enough to make me jealous. Not just a half-breed but a gaijin to boot. I can literally feel my frustration with him begin to boil.

"Oh? Where'd you come from?" I don't want the conversation to continue but what the hell… it's already started down a dark little road. Might as well follow it to see where it'll lead. Then, I realize my manners must have been absent and clear my throat, scratching the back of my head sheepishly. "Uh… Sorry about running into you. It certainly ain't the best way to start a new year at a new school."

"Ah no… it isn't, but I'm very grateful to be going to a real school." The kid is cheerful enough but I'm curious. What qualifies as a fake school? A barn? Was he perhaps raised in the demon realm? If so, why the hell couldn't he STAY there!?

"Where were you taught before? Home schooled?" I ask innocently as I watched the boy scrounge through his things. The boy nods at me.

"Yes. My father taught me most things... we're always on the move..."

Good lord, how stereotypical can you get? Next thing you know he'll comment on how he's been raising his siblings to ease the stress from his parents as they all struggle to make ends meet. Cue the tiny violin and the tugged heartstrings. That is, if I was some poor sap. The world is full of idiots who give to the poor and end up the same way themselves. And what do they get in return? Nothing but cold stares on the streets. Charity is best reserved for the bleeding hearts and I'll be damned if the consider me as such.

"Really? I used to move a lot before my father and I settled in Japan," I explain in forced amiability. It was true enough; before I started living with my dad I was rather nomadic, and it remained that way for a couple of years afterwards. But my father is also a teacher, so I never really consider that period of my life as home schooling. Go ahead, think I'm being hypocritical, but I see it simply as different circumstances. This poor sap's father probably isn't nearly as qualified as mine.

"Oh really? Where did you come from?" Now he's distractedly glancing about the ground, worried about a hiding pencil or perhaps a missing piece of notes.

"London, but that was a long time ago."

Don't be silly. I'm not really from London but that's what my birth certificate reads. I glance at my watch and stare at the time.

"Listen, what class do you have? Because… you're going to be late," I inform him and I see the slow horror dawn on his face. Oh, to be young and worried about tardiness again.

"Oh!! I'm sorry!!" he cries out, digging through his bag and pulling out a scrap of paper. "It must be here somewhere…." Another five scraps are revealed before he pauses and reads aloud. "Can you show me to Edegawa-sensei's room? Class 3-C, I believe."

Damn, the freak is in my classroom. I dust off my hands.

"Here, lemme make up for running into you by taking you to class." I hold out a hand. They're calloused regardless of how well I treat them, though I suppose it's just another sign of my lineage. When the boy places his hand in mine I'm surprised. They're as frigid as ice. I repress a shiver as I glance at him. "You ready??" I doubt he can keep up but hell; I'm ready to be surprised.

"Yes."

Doubt it, but oh well. One, two, three and we're off. The hallways are always crowded right before class so I bypass them. Up the trunk of the oak tree next to the school, the window is open to invite a breeze that never comes. With a small hop, I dart through and surprisingly, so does the boy. Around a corner, then through two classrooms before we reach the fire escape stairs. Up one more flight, around another corner and then BAM.

My foot connects with the door to the classroom with a loud thud and it flies open to reveal our teacher, waiting for me with a detention pad in one hand. She's always waiting like that though, so I suppose I should just take it in stride. STILL… a vein pulses in my forehead as I strain myself to smile.

"Ohayo, Sensei!" I give a small wave and I can see her anger rising.

"Congratulations, Minamino-san," she announces through clenched teeth, "You broke a new record for ALMOST being tardy. Urameshi-san arrived before you."

Ouch. If Midori reached the class before me I might as well just hang my head in shame. Well… if I could be shamed that easily.

"Glad to see you're as chipper as ever. I have kidnapped the new student, by and by, and he's a bit terrified. He must have heard how horrible you are!" I give a small fake gasp as I walk past the teacher. She's bored now, unable to catch me in the act, and resumes the love/hate relationship we've been cultivating for what seems like an age now and not just the first two quarters of school.

"I'm surprised you haven't brainwashed him already. Now sit down before I mark you tardy," she drawls as she puts away her pad. I'm already at my desk, the new kid in tow. The only open seat is next to me, no small coincidence I will have to admit. He sits down amiably, unaware of the stigma placed on the seat and I smile.

"Only open seat, Blue-san," I chuckle. "You'll have to put up with me all year."

"That's alright, I've had worse desk mates," he replies. Presumptuous of him, considering we've only just met. Then I remember he's been home schooled. Debating on whether or not to point this out, I instead choose a different route.

"Oho, not yet you haven't," I assure him, slowly dropping my pleasant act from earlier just as the teacher speaks up.

"Kuwabara-san. Please come up here and introduce yourself," she announces. The boy seems crestfallen and I remember how shy he was moments earlier. Giving him a small pat, I whisper to him.

"Close your eyes and think of the queen." He seems to get my reference and gives a breathy laugh. Trembling, he stands before the class. I gotta pity the kid as I remember the feeling I got when I first had to perform this age old "new kid" ritual. And I was far more confidant than him. I'm amazed he hasn't burst into flame or something equally as horrible and flashy. Then I remember how icy his skin was. If anything, he'd make it snow.

Standing before them, he clears his throat and gives a timid smile. The boy seems to have all the backbone of slug.

"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Kuwabara Samui. My family recently moved back here to Japan after quite some time in the Israeli Peace Corps. So, please do forgive me if my Japanese is rusty." He gives a small bow, all polite-like and I'm seething.

Okay, FINE. The kid is hardly stereotypical, just damn shy. I don't know a lot of kids who spent time in the Peace Corps… so what does that make him? A saint? Oh yes; a blue haired, half-breed saint from the Middle East. If anything, he's as bad as the martyrs for the demon rights campaigns. Leaning back in my chair, I eye him carefully as he walks back to the seat next to me.

The teacher starts up the lessons on English grammar but my mind is elsewhere. Another thing off about this new kid is his name. Kuwabara. I seem to remember by father had an old friend by that name during his… more rowdy years. Back when he was a Spirit Detective, I think. He's sitting to my blind side though and it would seem rude to stare so I keep my eye trained on the whiteboard. Kuwabara was a common name, right?

"Didn't tell them you were a half-breed, didja?" I whisper to him, turning another page in my books. This kid can't be as perfect as he seems, and as usual I plan to push him a little, see when he pushes back.

He ignores me, his head bent over his notes. Giving up discrepancy, I glance over at where he is and notice he's writing in Arabic. At least he heard me speak; he glances curiously over at me out of the corners of his eyes.

"Well?? Sensei can't hear us this far back, don't worry. Afraid to be torched?? Ran outta town??" I ask quietly, tapping the back of his cool hand with a finger. What he has is a valid fear, but one that I find amusing anyway. He then looks away from me and finally speaks, his voice as hushed as mine.

"I have no idea what you mean, Minamino-san. I was never run out of any town I stayed in, especially not with torches. My family traveled where there was a need for their services."

_Hardly,_ I hiss inside. Forget the _eta_, demons are the new thing to hate, you fool. My annoyance grows at his seemingly implacable mood and I decide to push harder. It's his fault for giving me leeway as far as I see it.

"So was it your mother who was the Youkai? Hm?? Your father fall in love with the forbidden fruit? Is that why your hair is that color??"

The moment I'm done with the statement I realize I might have pushed him too far. That's my problem since day one and even though I'm aware of it… I can't stop it. A weaker person might whine that it's 'just their nature' but I know the truth; I enjoy the conflict that arises from watching a person fight back, but I always regret it when I push too far. I want to see how far the blue saint will go until he decides enough is enough, and now I've reached that point.

He gives me a sharp look and I swear his eyes looks red instead of brown, but just as soon as he does it's all over.

"Please. Cease and desist this line of questioning. It will not get you far, and I would rather not have this discussion with you." His voice has a defined edge, and I shiver as he returns his gaze to the teacher.

"I'm being civil. The other kids won't be so kind. They like to speak of equality, but half-breeds are just bastards to them." And it's true. For all the self-righteous nature of the school, announcing itself as open to human and Youkai alike, everybody is still damn afraid of the demons. I'm not like the other mutt students, having no stake in the human genetic strain, so I don't count myself in their numbers. I'm that nasty little outlier that picks on whatever race is more fun. Besides, I can hardly blame them for fearing demons. Some of them are damn scary… the others are just simply amusing.

"Civility would be keeping your tongue in your head, Youkai." His gaze remains perma-glued to the teacher, but his fingers are clenching his pencil roughly, "As for the others; I have no desire to conflict with their perspectives. It does not matter to me what they think of me or my family."

For once I can't think of a retort. I'm stunned, flabbergasted, bowled-over and a few others words at that. How the hell does the kid know I'm a Youkai!? Running a hand over my hair I glance him up and down, heart racing. It should be neigh impossible to figure out, I've been hiding so long. If I was a weaker man I might feel nervous. Instead, I collect myself.

"I'm sorry, are you mistaken?? Did you just call me Youkai???" I give a quiet little laugh at the absurdity of the truth. I cast him a baleful stare. "Besides, you don't seem to have thick enough skin to take on the prejudices of this school."

"Thick skin is a matter of whether or not you react in a volatile nature towards your aggressors," he replies, his tone implying (whether subconsciously or not) that he was better than me for exactly that reason. I lean back in my chair and snort.

"Bah, pacifism is dead these days."

"So long as one person practices, it remains." Blue-san closes his notebook and I notice that the teacher has finished her lesson. The bell rings and he stands to enjoy his break, but my paranoia has spread to unhealthy levels. I grab his frigid wrist and yank him back to look at me.

"HEY. What did you call me earlier!?" This doesn't faze the boy as he just glances at me with bored russet eyes. I want to growl, snarl, or rip his face off with my fingers, but I _am _in polite company.

"Please release my arm, Minamino-san. I would rather not have both of our reputations tarnished because of your senseless pride." His voice is calm and dulcet. I'm just rational enough to listen to him and oblige. It hardly matters; he'll have to sit next to me later anyhow. He leaves my company with a somewhat rushed tone and I take small comfort in the fact that I might have at least spooked him.

It's not my fault I'm prideful. It's genetic, I swear. Find me a _yōkō_ who isn't a prideful bastard and I'll show you one who's just a very talented actor. Besides, it's not just pride; it's survival. I'm surrounded by humans who are more than willing to kick me back to _Makai _faster than I can shake my tail. The ability to pass as human has become necessary if I want to keep my uninhibited lifestyle, and if this half-breed could figure it out… who's to say somebody else won't? A terrifying idea, especially if this other figure would reveal me to the local community.

Wanting to calm my agitated nerves, I pull out a book and blandly flip through the pages, all the while watching the blue-haired boy. The spring quarter begins, and already there's somebody I need to be wary of.

He's not walking to the bathroom like the other kids, but instead towards the last person I thought I'd see him look at. Midori Urameshi. Yes, the daughter of THAT Urameshi. They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and in the case of Midori it didn't even fall off the freaking branch. Despite her perky good looks, she's the worst brawler this school has seen since her father's days. Piss her off and you better avoid alleys for the next five years.

The pair become fast friends too fast for my liking and with a sinking feeling I watch them hug. Nobody just suddenly hugs somebody they don't have a past history. Well okay, maybe not NOBODY but most people don't. Midori might be the type to be clutchy and clingy, but the blue haired mutt didn't come across like that to me. I'm a damn good judge of character over these sorts of things, comes from always watching your back. Then… Midori kisses him friendly on the cheek and my heart turns to ice as I lean back in my seat.

Quietly, I resign myself to the fate of having to spend the rest of the school year knowing I've essentially pissed off what appears to be Midori's best friend. EVER. So much for ending the year quietly. Sorry Dad.

AN: Thank you for reading this first chapter. Please review if you fancy that sort of thing, I appreciate any input from readers and take it very seriously! Thank you to my friends for their support and I'll post the next chapter up relatively fast!


	2. With Friends Like These

-AN: Thank you very much to the people who stuck around with this fanfic so far. I know, it's been a mess of rewrites, but hopefully it'll garner your approval. Thanks to those of you who story alerted this. Seeing as how finals week is fast approaching I thought it would be best to post up this chapter post-haste and then hunker down for some epic studying. So, enjoy. (Also, this chapter is from Midori's POV)

-Disclaimer: I don't own YYH. Use your brain.

I haven't been paying attention all class. I'm not alone; I can tell by the typical glazed-over expressions all the class is sporting, and I'm only aware that I'm actually still in the classroom when the bell rings. It pulls me from my stupor with a shock like a high-voltage wire. Then, adding to my surprise, I hear a voice I haven't heard in ages.

"My my, is that little miss Midori all grown up since I saw her last?" I pause. The voice is smooth, like chocolate and I slowly glance over. Standing across the small desk aisles from me is a tall beanpole of a kid. He's got vibrant blue hair, and I can't help but grin as I recognize the thick glasses he wears. Immediately I'm out of my chair and halfway across the distance between us by the time I finally start to speak.

"Oh… MIGOD! SAMUI!" I close my arms around his cool frame and I know I've caught him off guard. Stumbling a little, he collapses onto the desk behind him and I give a wide grin as his glasses are knocked askew from his face.

"Ooof! Hello Midori-san! It's been a while, has it not?" he chuckles as he attempts to right himself and me, but all we do is awkwardly grapple for a second before he seems to give up and waits for me to remove myself. Too bad I'm too excited to simply oblige.

"I can't believe it!" I squeal as I stand and pick up his glasses. It's then that I notice who he's been assigned to sit next to. The only open desk in the class is always next to Keichi, and the second I glimpse his violently vibrant auburn hair I scowl. "And you're stuck with the company of Assface himself," I pout.

I'm not simply being crass. Keichi and I go along way back, and not in the good way. He's two years older than me but in the same class. I say it's because he's stupid, but according to him his home-schooling transcripts weren't properly filed and he has to complete two more years of high school to graduate. As far as I'm concerned, he's trying to save face. That's hardly a reason to hold a grudge against a person, I suppose, but I'm not alone in my dislike of the guy. There's a good reason nobody sits next to him and to perfectly frank, I'm a little ticked off that Samui is stuck sitting next to the guy. Then, just as quickly as the annoyance came, it leaves and I smile again, taking a step back to get a better look at Samui.

"Almost didn't recognize you! You're so tall! And handsome!" I give a playful wink and I can see the vaguest ghost a blush rise on his face. It's hard to notice under his heavy tan, but I've known the guy since we were in diapers.

"M-M-Midori-san… I really don't think…" He looks off, and I can tell he's embarrassed. It's a miracle he's survived having me as a friend. I pride myself on not having that little voice in the back of your head that warns you about discretion. Life is too short to spend it worrying about things like decorum.

"Definitely." I nod my head, concreting my idea that he's handsome as I kiss him on the cheek. As usual, his skin is icy but it's what you'd expect from a half-Koorime. "I missed you," I remind him a little more gently as I return his glasses to his face. I'm not lying when I say he'd handsome, though it's more based on potential than actual looks at this point. He's the sort of kid you look at and think to yourself that he'll be a lady-killer when he's older, but first he's got to grow out of that awkward teenage stage that's left him all sharp corners and gangly limbs.

"You should join the Demon's Rights Club here! We could really use you," I hint not-so-lightly, and I see him give a small, if pleased, sigh. With a small push, he lengthens the distance between us until he feels more comfortable as he mutters my name under his breath.

"I'd like to get settled in before I start any extracurricular activities. After all, I have my siblings to care for," he reminds me and I groan. He's the best damn brother I've ever seen, but our club needs every single supporter we can muster, and I'll be damned if I let someone as smart as Samui just slip away.

"But we _need_ people like you!" I whine, bobbing up a down for a second in frustration. "Assface over there is our biggest Adversary!" I point to Keichi, who seems too absorbed in his own thoughts to realize that I'm talking about him. And yes, he's such a menace he deserves a capital "A".

Just as Batman has the Joker, the Demons Right Club has Keichi. He comes to meetings simply to heckle us, and when we hold open debates he's always the first to sign up to speak his mind. I can't help that he's a bigot, but I certainly can fantasize about bashing his face in. The only thing that keeps me from making my dreams a reality is that I can never find him outside of school. It's not for lack of trying, but I'll be damned if I know how he travels to and from school. Whenever I wait for him at the gates he never arrives.

What is probably most infuriating about Keichi is that, while yes, he's a xenophobic, bigoted guy, he's damn clever. He never loses his temper against us while debating his firm platform that Youkai should simply return to Makai, and never loses the same cocky grin off his face. I don't know why he has the chip on his shoulder, but I aim to win the next debate. Hence why I'm actively trying to recruit Samui, who casts a quick glance to Keichi after realizing just who I mean by "the Adversary".

"Not surprising…" he mutters and I frown. Keichi must have already vocalized his opinion on the matter of Youkai rights. "…But please, Midori-san, would you treat him with a little more courtesy in my presence? Such vulgar language is not befitting of you," he reminds me gently, and I sigh. Ever the adult in our dynamic duo.

"He claims that half-demons are worthless," I argue, but I refrain from calling him names. That's the power of Samui, I suppose. Well, besides the ability to manipulate ice and always remain nice and chilly despite the sweltering heat of summer. No matter how angry I might be, he always knows how to cool me down, pardon the pun. I see him frown at the news so I push forward, hoping to sway him to my club as fast as possible. "AND that full demons should stick to their own realm!" I can see that I'm not moving his opinion, so I get a little desperate.

"He's the biggest…" I struggle not to swear, "… JERK… since EVER. But damn charismatic. We can't argue against him!"

Samui just sighs at me and I slump in defeat. It sucks having your friend being the bastion of kindness, chivalry and pretty much everything that's good in this world. I exaggerate, but you get the idea.

"That is no reason to be so vile in your choice of words, _sheika. _He is a person like everybody else and has a right to an opinion as such," he reminds me, placing a hand on my upper arm. I haven't heard his nickname for me in a long time, and it helps to assuage my temper.

"He's a freaking demon," I giggle for a second. "Ohmigod… It'd be so damn funny if he really was! But… then again… I'd have to be nice to him if he was, wouldn't I?" I give a small smile. An odd expression crosses Samui's face, but I don't take heed.

"I'd prefer if you would be kind to him no matter what… but if I cannot stop you, I am doomed to forever hope," he mourns and I pat him on the shoulder. That was a good way to describe Samui. Doomed to hope. I don't know how he does it, but the guy can see the good in anybody. You could put him in front of a convicted felon and he'd find some good trait about the man… maybe. Maybe I exaggerate. It's common for me to do that.

I lean against my table and snigger. Though Samui's unaware as always, a small crowd of students stands a in a crescent perimeter near him. He's the new kid; the new commodity to fight over for friendship. Too bad I already got him. Of course, they're also wary. The last time we had a new student, we got Keichi… and we've been trying to return him ever since.

"Fine, fine," I shrug, unconcerned. "OH! I have something I wanna show you later. REMIND ME!" I wink. "Better get back to your seat; this teacher's a hard-ass about those things."

As he returns to his seat next to the social pariah, I hear him mutter something about how my language is crass but I simply smile. Meanwhile, I wait for the main block of classes to end. I'm eager to talk with Samui, and more importantly show him what I found in my dad's old desk drawer. I daze off, imagining grander adventures from this school life until the bell rings, signaling the majority of the classes were over for the day and all we have left are electives and P.E. It's then as the other students file out and I wait for Samui that I hear Keichi's voice in a tone I haven't heard before. I'd almost place it as… pleading?

"C'mon, Blue-san, I'll take back the comment about your mum? How's that?" he asks and I tune in a little more intensely, noticing him referencing Samui as "Blue". You might recall that Samui indeed has blue hair but its not common knowledge. There's an old saying that "when in Rome, do as the Romans do" and Samui is no fool. Like most of the half-Youkai that populate Japan, he disguises his hair using a simple glamour to make it appear black. All yokai have that trick or at least that's what my dad taught me. That's why ogre's horns aren't visible to every day humans and the like.

I shake my head. There's no way that Keichi, of all people, would be able to see through a Youkai trick. You'd have to be either spiritually aware or a Youkai yourself. And as I said before, the idea of that bigot being a Youkai was wholly laughable. I watch Samui stand quickly and collect his books. A trained eye such as mine notes that he's annoyed, which is rare enough as it is… but then again, Keichi's whole existence seems to be driven by the need to irritate.

"There is a saying where I come from that you will find interesting, Minamino-san," Samui's voice has a blank lecturing tone and I can tell he's holding back his growing anger. "An action may be undone, but a word spoken can never be unsaid. I wish you a good afternoon."

Part of me wants to give a standing ovation to Samui. The fact that he didn't snap, or yell at Keichi, was a feat so impressive I almost wanted to cry. Then… the other part of me wanted to slap the guy for NOT giving the bigot a piece of his mind! Xenophobic idiots never learn unless taught a lesson! BY FORCE IF NESSECARY! I get up to join Samui in leaving, but for a second I swear I hear the sound of an animal growling. I glance back to see only Keichi in the classroom. Shrugging, I head off to class.

It isn't until the last class of the day, P.E, which I find myself accosted by the auburn idiot again. As usual, the P.E coach is having a coronary yelling at Keichi and I watch from the benches in an amused manner. I've finished my laps for the day and got permission from the coach to finish up my lunch with the rest of the time. I love the designated marathon days. Since I'm a fast runner, or at least fast enough to be considered "talented", I can spend the last half of the class reading, relaxing or eating.

Then, something ruins my mood.

"Midoriii-saaaaan," the snide voice of Keichi calls out to me. I realize he's ditched running to come bother me, and if I was in a cartoon a rain cloud would have appeared over my head. "I hear there's another debate coming. Will you be my opponent?"

"No way, Assface," I reply curtly, picking at the now cold rice of my bento box, not bothering to look at him.

"Oh? Who's it gonna be then?" he asks and I glance up at him to see what he's doing. If I didn't hate Keichi as much as I do (and _always_ will) he might even be attractive… if I was into the pretty-boys-who-look-like-girls kind of thing. Unruly and loosely curled hair is kept pulled away from his face, inordinately long for a guy, and all I can see is one green eye peeking out from behind thick bangs. The other eye is covered by an eye patch. When I was a kid I once asked him how he lost it, and I was told that he had shot it out with a B.B gun. Then I heard another kid relaying the story he heard from Keichi about how it was removed by a rabid tiger. THEN another kid was told by him that he was born without the eye... That's right about when I realized he was good-for-nothing liar. I still don't know why he wears an eye patch, but I do know now that I don't really give a damn. Let him be a smooth-talking prejudiced pirate for all I care.

"Daisukenojo is up this time," I inform him blandly as I take a sip from my thermos.

"Good. That Asuka girl ended up crying last time," he snickers and crosses his arms over his chest at me. "You still a bastion for the poor and lonely half-breeds and Youkai? However do you keep up that amazing amount of hope?"

It's ironic. He's hardly describing me; it sounds more like how I view Samui. Then I wonder, if that's how Keichi views me… then does he think that Samui is… what…. Pure innocence incarnate? A god of mercy?

"I still have hope because there are still bastards like you out there to knock them down." I glare at him, hoping he'd leave. "I got you during the last debate, and you know it!"

"I'm just saying. Youkai have their own freakin' realm, just like humans. We should all be content to dwell in our respective areas." He shrugs all nonchalant, and I long to punch his thin jaw in. I bet you it would shatter like glass. "Why'd they have to mess it all up?"

"Maybe because humans started barging in first," I reply. "Look, I'm having a nice day. Why don't you go an' rain on somebody else's parade?" Though it's foolish, I hope my scowl will cause him to take the hint and leave me alone. My luck has never been any real good, since I'm my father's daughter and all, and as the small grin spreads across Keichi's face I can tell he's not going to leave without trying to get the last word.

"Of course, milady," he sneers. "But your little friend, Blue-san, has put me in a piss-poor mood. Daiskuenjo better be ready. Thought it would be the courteous thing to do to let you know."

How cute; he's asking me to spread a warning. I betcha I could punch him out cold in this moment and wipe the smirk off his face, but I promised my mother that I wouldn't cause any trouble this school year. Instead, I shrug.

"Sure, now make like a tree and leave." I point in the opposite direction of myself with my chopsticks, and sure enough he turns to leave. With a small two-fingered salute, he leaves and I know he's headed for the locker rooms. It's practically a given that he skips the last half of P.E on marathon days. The coach never tries to take him down about it though. He used to. He used to give him hell every day of the week, but lately I think he's given in. In all the years I've seen Keichi take P.E, he can never seem to run faster than a slow jog without looking sick. Still, one time the teacher called him out on it, made him go to a physical. Afterwards, the man never looked at Keichi the same way again, and certainly didn't push him as hard. Makes ya wonder just what happened? I think he black mailed him.

Returning my gaze to my bento, the next time I look up I see a more welcome sight. Samui has finished his run and class is about to end. I grin, pat the seat next to me on the old aluminum bench next to the track, and he takes my invitation. He spreads his long legs out and wipes his brow.

"You're really bugging Minamino," I note with a tone of satisfaction. I know it's not his intent, but seeing the boy riled up in such a fashion just makes my day. It's not that I'm sadistic… but it's hard not to find pleasure in watching the carefully kempt mask of Keichi crack under pressure.

"I know." He nods his head to me. "He saw." Samui points to his hair.

"Yeee-up. Hence why he keeps calling you Blue-san," I laugh. "I still can't figure out HOW he can see it, but I'll find out…" A devious grin spreads across my face.

"Well, only those of Youkai blood or people very spiritually aware can see though Youkai glamour," he confides, "Either he is trained very well, like you, or… he is hiding something."

Ah, the conspiracy theory. Spend enough time around somebody as suspicious as Keichi and you'll develop a few yourselves. Of course, most of them are mundane. Like he's really a woman, or that he really has two eyes and just wears an eye patch for the sympathy vote. I used to think he was a Youkai himself, the way he carried himself and spoke down on humans… then I debated against him for demon rights. Nobody can be that bigoted towards their own race.

"Ya don't think he's related to… _that_ Minamino?" I toy with the old idea again. My dad used to work with a guy name Suiichi Minamino back when he was still an active Spirit Detective. It wouldn't be a far cry for the guy's son to be in the same city that his father grew up.

"It's a common enough name. Don't jump to conclusions, _sheika_," Samui reminds me, and I glance at him before shrugging.

"Yeah. Besides, what my dad told me about that Kurama guy… well, he sounds like an upstanding kinda man." In other words, defiantly not related to Keichi.

We both laugh as the field clears of students and I lick the last grains of rice from my bento box. Silence passes between us, but it's hardly awkward. We know each other so well moments like these pass easily. We're content with each other's presence and hardly need words to express such. It isn't until I'm all packed up that we stand and speak again.

"Well, I got something to show you!" I exclaim. "Go get dressed and meet me back here. I don't want anybody watching."

A normal person might think I'm up to something devious. I'm not, and luckily Samui knows me well enough. We amble off to our respective dressing rooms, and as usual he's waiting for me outside. I don't know how he dresses so quickly, but I assume it's a necessary skill from being shy. If you gotta get undressed in public, you might as well be fast about it… or something like that.

"Alright, _sheika_, what do you want to show me?" he asks, and there's a playful challenge in his voice. He's curious, just unwilling to show it openly. I smile and reach into the pocket of my jeans. I pull out what appears to be a purple make-up compact.

"Dad's coming home finally, so my ma set me to cleaning up his old office. Well, digging around in his old drawers I found THIS." He looks at me confused before speaking up.

"Your dad was a cross-dresser?" he asks incredulously and I frown.

"NO. It's a pocket communicator!" I grin triumphantly and toss it to him. He fumbles to catch it and looks it over.

"You mean…"

"Like the ones our dads used to use back when they were actively fighting the good fight." I nod my head solemnly and he glances it over a few more times. I can't tell if he's excited, like me, as his face is damnably blank of any real expression. He simply turns the small purple clamshell over in his hands a few times before clearing his throat.

"And this-" He means to say more but pauses as the small item gives a cheerful little ring. We both stop dead in our tracks and stare at it. "… What is it doing?" he asks and I shrug.

"No clue. Gimme it." I snatch it from his hands and open it. The small screen where a mirror would be is taken up by the face of a toddler, a teal pacifier clamped firmly in his mouth. I've lost all restraint and stare, jaw hanging open as wide as a codfish. If my mother were here she'd have hit me upside the head for gaping like that, but instead the toddler only speaks up in his nasal voice.

"Well, you certainly aren't Yusuke," he notes wryly, and I am snapped out of my confusion. I shake my head a few times to clear my thoughts, and clear my throat.

"No, I'm not. Whaddya need him for?"

"I was supposed to get in contact with him for a mission. You must be his daughter… Midori, was it?" He glances away, seeming to glance a some piece of paperwork, and I nod my head.

"Yeah. My dad isn't coming home until later, and he's not taking any more missions. He's retired," I reply, annoyed that he'd been keeping something as important as still being a Spirit Detective from me. Why my mom finds out she won't be pleased. AT. ALL. I foresee broken dishes and my dad sleeping on the couch for a week, which is a shame. I really like sleeping on the couch.

"I know that, but this is a rather… tense situation. I was hoping to get in contact with him…" There's this hopeful pause and I grin. A devious little part of my mind springs forward and pounces on the chance that just presented itself.

"Oh.. I'll get you in touch with him… IF…" I hold up a finger and the toddler seems confused. "IF you let me and Samui tag along. We wanna be Spirit Detectives!"

"_We do?!_"

My announcement comes as a surprise to Samui, and I feel his incredulous stare on the back of my head. He's going to lecture me later and I can already hear the first half in my head replaying in an endless loop. Still, I wait for the response.

"Well… I suppose if you're going to be with your fathers…." He doesn't really have a choice and I know he's simply trying to take the higher road. I'm kosher with that and jump onto the boat, pulling Samui with me. Metaphorically of course. "I'm going to have Botan send the case information to you, and I trust you to give it to your fathers. Got it?" He gives a stern stare at me.

"No worries. So, mind tellin' me what we're doing?"

"Midori, perhaps you should have asked this BEFORE you signed us up for this!" Samui moans, but I hardly care.

Most little girls want to be princesses, ballerinas or models. I have always wanted to kick the ass of evil doers. Mom says it's genetic, that I'm my father's daughter and all that, and I gotta agree. Instead of bedtime stories as a child, my dad put me to sleep with grand stories of how he fought in an evil tournament, of befriending demons and keeping the world safe. Nothing could ever be cooler that that. It's the ultimate trump card. Oh, you got an A on your paper? I averted the complete and utter annihilation of planet Earth AND LOOKED DAMN GOOD DOING IT! Just try and beat that! But enough about my job fantasies; let's get back to what really matters.

"I have received news that a pair of thieves might be planning an elaborate heist on a collection of spiritually enhanced items. This is entirely based on speculation and rumors, but just in case I want some firepower there to take down whatever might come our way," the toddler explains and I nod my head, thinking on it. Odd, my dad's first real mission had to deal with supernatural thieves as well.

"Well, I'll pass the message. You'll let us know when we gotta be on the lookout, right?" I ask and Samui gives another small groan. He's bemoaning my inability to plan ahead.

"Of course…" The toddler seems a little off put by the occurrences of today, but I'm brimming with happiness. If I could, I'd be flying. I close the compact and nudge Samui and little harder in the shoulder to get a response.

"Hey!" He almost stumbles, but recovers. "You could have asked me…"

"You woulda said no."

"…" He knows I'm right, but still finds a retort. That's my Samui… "It would have been nice to at least be considered when you're planning OUR futures."

"Life happens when you're making other plans, my friend…" I pat him on the shoulder and we start to head back to our respective houses. Ever the gentleman, Samui walks me to the gate of the house before he gives a small smile. If I didn't know him better I'd say he almost looks devious.

"Have fun telling your mother that you're a Spirit Detective."

I pause and the horror of this notion dawns on me as he leaves down the street, cool as a cucumber. Gulping, I turn toward the door of my house, suddenly ominous. So much for ending the year quietly. Sorry, Mom.

-AN: Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave me a message, I will take all notes into heavy consideration and will reply to them as soon as I receive the. Thanks!


	3. Who Needs Enemies?

-AN: Sorry for inserting this a wee bit late. Finals are over, spring break is here and I thought I should celebrate by uploading a new chapter. Hopefully you all are enjoying it so far.

I am the type of guy who screams things at horror movies. You know the type; the annoying jerk in the back of the theater who feels the compulsive need to shout "Don't go into the empty room!" or "Splitting up is gonna get you killed!" to the actors on the screen. Sure, they can't hear me, but I don't do it for them. I do it for me. It's like a constant reminder that, well, I'm smarter than them. I mean _I _certainly wouldn't go into a dark alley by myself when I know I'm being followed. And I _certainly_ wouldn't provoke whatever is stalking me into showing itself. And I most certainly wouldn't close my eyes and refuse to look at whatever is standing right behind me, ready to strike.

That's why, when I look back this sequence of events, I will plead temporary insanity. Because I certainly wouldn't do _all those things at once_ when I'm dead certain that I'm being followed by something nasty. I became acutely aware that I was being stalked only yards away from the school but ignored it. I'm a paranoid kinda guy; it comes from being a Youkai and it comes from being inclined towards certain actions that might be considered felonies. It's only once I'm alone in a dark alley heading to the local park to talk about my recent change of events with an old friend do I realize that (for once) I'm not a delusional paranoid. This time it's fully justified.

Instead of doing the smart thing like running or ignoring the feeling until I'm in a highly populated area, I stop, clear my throat, and proclaim to the shadows, the bricks and whatever is following me:

"Come out, come out, wherever you are."

Oh, aren't I the cocky bastard. Slowly, the tingling on the back of my neck rises, and it's only when I can hear the barest sounds of my stalker breathing do I realize their proximity to me, and (more importantly) to my unguarded back.

"Minamino, I have a proposition for you…" a curiously asexual voice states. They're not whispering, but their words are quiet and hold a breathy tone. I shiver; it's been awhile since I've heard somebody talk like that. In fact, most assassins tend to talk like that. I will admit that my predicament seems a little grimmer at this point, but at least they are giving me options. I pray that these options won't be between a quick death and a slow death.

"Yeah? Who did I piss off this time?" My voice is more confident that I really am. I'm a lover, not a fighter, ladies, and that last thing I want to deal with would be having to fight a trained killer. If that happens, I might have to drop my human guise, and the chances of the fight drawing attention would be inevitable.

"Nobody, though if you decide to decline my offer, me."

I shift nervously, hiking my book bag a little higher on my shoulder, not willing to face the person behind me for fear of actually having to acknowledge them. I know it's silly, but I'm still holding onto the slim hope that this is all just a horrible dream and that I'm passed out in the middle of the street or something.

"Well then, I'm at least willing to listen," I reply, working up the courage to turn around. I finally do and to be honest… I'm a little disappointed. Instead of some monster that fits the image I've worked up in my head (a tall imposing creature with a blade bathed in blood) I see a small figure, dressed all in black, hair covered and only one eye staring at me. It's a rather demonic blood red, but hardly what I'd considering scary. I can smell the stench of Makai off of them, but I can't place their breed. Perhaps just another mutt. Now I'm a little less scared. It's honestly hard to be imposing when you don't come up to my shoulders.

"I hold your wife's future in my hands," they state and I pause. Wife? I can't help but bust out laughing at the absurdity of it all and it seems to confuse them. Pushing my hair out of my face as I double over in mirth, the one red eye grows wide from the assassin.

"Eye patch?" they ask, and I grin as I stand upright and plant my hands on my hips. Obviously this assassin has chosen the wrong person, and I can't help but find the humor in it. For once, luck seems to be on my side. Chuckling, I nod my head.

"Yup. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that whoever you're looking for has full functionality of both their eyes?" I bravely add a small mocking tone, and by the furrowing brow on the demon before me I can tell that they are more than a little irked at my behavior.

"You answered to the name Minamino," they snap at me and I keep nodding.

"Yeah. Keichi Minamino." I am almost singing, infinitely pleased at the frustration of the formerly imposing assassin, but I immediately stop when I realize something. If they weren't looking for me… then they might have been looking for my father. My theory is confirmed when the shadow speaks again.

"Then you must be his son." They sound annoyed at best, damned angry at worst, and I sober up. If someone from Makai is looking for my father, I would bet my good eye that they don't want to reminisce about old times over tea and crumpets.

"Spot on. You're doing better the second time around. What do you want with my mother?" I normally wouldn't be concerned if somebody has something on my mum; we hardly speak to each other, let alone get along in each other's presence. It's part of the result of having one like mine, who has yet to get over her post-partum psychosis. Well, I think she's yet to get over it; people who have talked to her since I left tend to say otherwise. I'm not to keen to check up on that.

"I happen to know where she's hiding… and I will cut her down if you do not do as I say."

Perhaps a bit of an explanation is due on what exactly my mother is. If you remember, I earlier noted that I am fully Youkai due to my father. This is because I inherited nothing from my mother besides some of her looks. Her technical title is a Kodama: for those of you who are genre savvy, the small creatures from _Princess Mononoke_ with the clicking heads… but not that silly. We're talking reality here. She's a tree spirit, who was once a human. Tree spirits can only be made in a few very select ways. Sex isn't one of them, which I always thought was a pity. Kodama are either humans that bind their souls to trees to protect them… or are made from the branch cuttings of other Kodama and their entire point in life is to protect nature. They're the original hippies you might say.

Since she was once human, she still has a womb and therefore was able to carry me to full term but was unable to pass down her genetic legacy of tree guardian. So instead, I took after my father. What this assassin inevitably means is that she's found where my mother's tree is planted and means to cut it down, ending her life.

Now then, where was I before I decided to lecture about tree spirits? Oh yes, how could I forget…

"I hardly care what you do to my mother, she was absent for most of my life." I shrug, "Find somebody more important to me to threaten."

There's this awful pause and I imagine the assassin grinning under their mask. I also imagine they have sharp teeth like a shark, but doubt it's true. Uneasy, I shift my feet, ready to run.

"I doubt your father would take kindly to his wife's death," they reply snidely and I pause. Technically my father never married my mother and I want to correct them… but I consider it wise to keep my tongue still on the matter. "I need you to steal an item for me. I'll pay you generously."

I pause. The idea of getting paid is appealing to a high school student like me, but I'm hardly strapped for cash. At least my mother is useful for that. Instead, I try and dissuade them from wanting to use my talent.

"Sorry, I don't fight and I don't steal."

"That brand on your wrist says otherwise. So I suggest that you do as I say," the assassin hisses, pointing to my right wrist.

There's no point in fighting them at this point if they know about my old allegiance. Inside my right wrist under the watch is a very painful looking brand I received as a child, labeling me as property of the Makai Thieves' Guild. I would bet cold hard cash that they have the sister brand for the Assassin's Guild on their left one. Obviously I'm dealing with somebody who knows more than I'd like about me. It takes a few seconds for me to calculate my odds of getting out of this unscathed or unemployed… and the result is 0 percent. I groan.

"Alright. Fine. Just leave my father out of this, alright?" I snap, crossing my arms in a futile attempt to look like I have this situation under control.

"Of course… anything you say…" the assassin replies snidely before throwing me a rather unassuming folder. "I would say we have to change our plans since you are not your father… but I think any _yōkō_ half their salt could pull off what I want. Look it over… I'll come for you in three days time to start our plan. Until then… don't die."

In a flit, the assassin disappears, leaving me standing in the middle of an alley holding a manila folder and feeling rather unsettled. Though I'd never fancy myself the good guy, I can't help but feel I'm going to play the part of the villain in an upcoming chain of events. If life is anything like the shows I watch on the television, I also know that my defeat is rather inevitable. Sighing, I slide the folder into my backpack and continue on my path. If anybody could help me figure out what in the hell is going on, it's Kai. I was going to visit him anyway to rant about Blue-san, but as you can see, more pressing matters have to come to my attention.

It's hard to continue down the path to normalcy when your family is threatened, and I almost pass up the local park for that express reason. Pausing, I shake my head and remind myself of my destination. Nestled in the rather busy city I live in is a modest old shrine, a kickback to ye olden days I suppose. Now it's visited for the yearly festivals and by grandmas and grandpas. And me, of course. I have a friend who lives there. Stepping through the large _tori_ gates, I sneak past the shrines to the ancient ginkgo biloba, its trunk wrapped in thick ropes and paper tags. Grinning I snag a rice ball from the offering plate below it and climb the trunk, food clamped in my teeth.

Halfway up and well out of sight I see Kai, stretching out on the branches of the tree in a pair of white_ hakama_ and a black sleeveless _haori_. His long green kimono is draped over the branch next to him and if I didn't know him better, I'd say he was sleeping. Swinging over to a nearby branch I perch and wait for him to get uncomfortable. It doesn't take long. One ice blue eye pops open and slowly goes to look at me. I grin.

"G'mmnning," I mumble, mouth filled with rice and he smiles, swinging around to sit up straight. His blonde hair is messy and as usual, I can see leaves stuck in between the curls.

"And hullo to you too, Fox," he exclaims. "Forgot to bring me up some food as well?"

Shrugging, I continue to eat the last of the rice before licking it off my fingers. Like me, Kai isn't human, even though he once was. Remember when I said some Kodama used to be human? Kai was once a psychic who later took it upon himself to become a tree spirit. Or at least, that's how he tells it. I never really ask too much about his past; he's been around for too long. I doubt he even remembers when he was still actual flesh and blood. Cut him now and all you'll get is sap.

"I'm selfish. All part of my nature," I reply, dangling my feet below me. We're well hidden, though that wasn't always the case. I remember when I was younger and I'd hang out at his tree… I almost got shot by a very irate _miko._

"Can't always blame the DNA. Your father's an upstanding guy... so what happened to you?" he teases me, and I shrug again.

"A lot of stuff. I didn't come here JUST to jack some food from your shrine," I explain and he gives an overdramatic, shocked stare with his rather unsettling eyes. No matter how long I've known Kai, the glacial blue color of his irises always set me off-guard. I heard they were always that hue, even when he was human, and I can see why others would find him unnerving. They give him a crazed, manic look. It's intense to be around him for a few minutes, let alone have a staring contest.

"Alright, spill. What's eating you up?" He crosses his arms and shifts to sit a little better.

There's never been any use lying to Kai. He was the one who instructed my mother on being a Kodama and might even be older than dirt itself. I've known him since before I could walk and there hasn't been a moment in my life that I can't attribute to his influence in one way or the other .Whether these actions were for better or worse… that's up to debate. I reach into my satchel bag and pull out the folder that my new employer had only recently given to me. Curiously he snatches it away and pulls out the paper before giving a low whistle.

"Well, that wasn't what I was expecting," he admits, shaking his head in distaste. "I cannot condone this behavior, kiddo."

"Stealing?" I ask and he nods his head. It's not like I'm overjoyed as well but I was hoping for at least a little support. "It's not like I asked for it."

"I know that, but kid… something this big is gonna get the attention of Reikai, and if you're unlucky, the other realms as well. Knowing you, something is going to go horribly wrong and you won't like the results. You might be in over your head," he admitted and I seethed. There's truth in his words, sure, but I can't help but feel damn annoyed. It's not like I suck at stealing or anything and I'm as well trained as any other person on the market in Makai. Moments ago I was dreading having to take on this job, but hell, after what Kai just said, I'm pumped to prove him wrong. The sly smile on his face lets me know that he already knew that would be my response.

"Like father like son, kid," he states plainly, "Want my advice?"

"Sure." It can't hurt to have a second opinion. Well, I suppose sometimes it can. I doubt the guy who okayed the Hindenburg felt proud of his second opinion…

"Get the hell outta dodge when you give this… person… what they want stolen. I've seen this item before, and trust me; you don't want to mess with it." He hands back the file and taps the picture of a rather innocuous sword. Of course, just 'cuz something looks innocent doesn't mean it really is. I learned this the hard way during a few missions as a kit for the guild.

"Wanna tell me what it does or will I be pleasantly surprised?" I ask and he nods, clearing his throat. I assume its going to be a long story. Live as long as Kai, and all your stories become long. Even the dull ones. Not saying he's a windbag, but he's a tree spirit. They tend to look at time a little more differently than others. The big picture, instead of the here and now.

"The result varies on user," he says. And that's it. No explanation and no reasoning behind it. I pause and stare at him, frustrated as all hell. I can tell this because the growl that rises up in my throat unbidden is becoming vocal.

"And just what the holy hell does that mean!?" I snap and I pause, embarrassed. My voice sounds far less human than I'd like and he seems to revel in it. There's something sadistic in how he takes pleasure in seeing my carefully constructed guise falter.

"Exactly how it sounds. Its results vary entirely on what the user wishes," he adds in a chastising tone, as though mocking me for not being able to understand his intentions. Frustrated, I smooth my hair out under my hand and give an annoyed shudder.

"So what, I could be stealing… like… Armageddon for this assassin?" I'm ticked, annoyed and more than a little ruffled and I can tell it's beginning to show outwardly. The shadow I'm reflecting below me is not even remotely human but that of a very angry fox perched on a branch, its two tails curling from anger and its back arched. As usual, I forget to recognize that fox as me. I've been in a human form for too long; I almost forget to remember my natural form.

"There's a distinct possibility," Kai admits to me and I sigh. "Stuck between a rock and a hard place?" he asks sympathetically, and I groan and shake my head.

"I think this is a bit worse, but hell, I'm willing to be surprised." I laugh abysmally. "You know… I really, really, _really_ wanted this year to be quiet. No trouble, no fights, no possible ending of the world… And I was really trying!" Whining, I kick the air below me before giving a frustrated snarl. "Once I'm done doing their job… I _swear_… they're gonna regret they _ever, EVER_ decided to hire me."

"So who _is_ hiring you? All you said was they're an assassin." Kai picks at his nails as though this is a normal conversation and I want to slap him.

"I have no idea. They wore full-covering clothes," I admitted, my frustration dwindling as I lose the steady supply of anger to fuel it.

"So how do you know they're an assassin?" he asks me dully and I get a little offended. He's questions MY abilities of observation?

"They dressed like one… and spoke like one…" Wow, when I say it out loud it seems a lot lamer.

"Was it a guy or a girl?" Kai pesters, enjoying watching me squirm.

I think on it before bowing my head. "To be honest. I have no idea." Of course, he bursts into laugher and I can't really blame him. It sounds pathetic.

"One would think that a guy like you would have like… a sixth sense about these things," he teases and I growl softly, glaring off, not willing to look at his smug face.

"It doesn't work like that, it's not like I have radar or anything," I mutter, but the damage is done. The assassin, whoever they are, certainly isn't making my life easy at all, even when I'm not stealing. "And I'd appreciate you not laughing! My life is going to be OVER if I fail, and if I succeed… the WORLD might be over. Do you have any idea how much stress that is!? PLUS! PLUS!" I point a finger at him, now fully back into a rage. "Mock college entrance exams are starting in a week! A WEEK. I don't need this stress!!"

Across the tree branches, Kai seems taken aback as he sits up from his usual lounging position to watch me warily as I rant. Its hot air, I know it. A thief like me would be hard pressed to threaten an assassin, but I feel better as I spew acidic threats at the culprit. If this were some two bit comedy comic, they might have sneezed somewhere off-screen, but I'll be damned if I know if they really did or not.

"Are you going to tell your dad?" Kai asks politely, trying to avoid setting me off again and, more importantly, trying to change the topic. For a guy who's lived as long as him, I always find it funny that he's taken such a backseat to life. I once asked him why and he simply told me that he'd lived enough lifetimes on the field, and now he'd rather enjoy it from the benches. Not being familiar with baseball at the time, I didn't understand the metaphor. I simply assumed he grew weary of the inevitable. If he wanted to fight… I'd lose. Taking on a tree spirit of his age is a task only for fools, but I've never seen him fight once, or at least… not with his powers. He used to verbally duke it out with my mother all the time when I was younger.

"Hell. No."

My flat reply left him taken aback and he stops to give me his best, stern glare. I sigh and settle onto the branch, ready for the lecture.

"You plan on keeping this from him… how? You think he won't notice you leaving the house late one night and coming home with Johnny Law hot on your heels? And-" he holds up a finger to intercept my protest, "-AND. You can be damned sure that stealing something like THAT sword will get you the attention of the Spirit World, if not Enma himself. You want that? HM?"

I heave a sigh that I would rate as epic before giving Kai a tired expression. Of course he'd say that, I knew it, I told you earlier even. Waiting to see if he was indeed done yet, as it's rude to interrupt, I clear my throat to speak.

"First off, nobody says 'Johnny Law' anymore. Second of all, if I tell my dad, I'm going to get grounded, be unable to steal this 'horrible' sword and then I've single-handedly killed both of us due to that assassin seeking vengeance," I explain, and I can tell he's not buying. He taps a finger against his chin before pointing at me.

"I know what this is about… you're bored. Some little devious part of your mind thinks this might be _fun_," he says incredulously. Really, he should stop being surprised by me at this point but I'm just as astounded at him at this revelation. Am I really that… bored?

I have just about everything I ever wanted since I was a kid. I have a parent who smiles when I walk into the room. I have a home to return to every night with a bed and food in the fridge. I have good grades at school and nobody has the slightest idea that I'm a demon. Was Kai right? Did I accept this job so easily because I wanted it? I shake my head.

"You're wrong. I just don't want to get my dad pulled back into all of… that…" I wave a hand off and look away. I'm afraid that if I look into those manic eyes I'll see the truth. That maybe I really am just bored of being human. Half expecting Kai to continue badgering, he instead gives a sigh and I glance back, feeling safe now that I'm not under his unholy scrutiny. He rubs his hair into an utter mess before smoothing it out again, and I can tell he's almost embarrassed. I say almost because at his age, Kai never gets embarrassed anymore.

"Alright, alright. Listen kid, I just don't want to see you hurt," he explains before he pushes himself to his feet, standing on the branch as he pulls on his kimono. The fabric moves with a weight that seems unfathomable for silk but I've never had the courage to inspect it. "I have business to attend to, kiddo," (he means he has to deal with my mother about one thing or another) "but if things start going south fast… find me. I'll be listening for you." He gives a small salute before glancing up through the leave of his tree at the sky and then he dissolves into ginkgo leaves. Just like that. Tree spirits never leave like normal people, it would seem. In fact, Kai only uses a door or walks away when he's pretending to be human.

I sit there for awhile after he's gone. Below me the priests and priestesses carry out their duties, but all I can think about is how disappointing this whole ordeal has become. Kai was hardly the support I was looking for. He's right; I've never stolen anything this dangerous before. It's getting dark when I finally pull myself out of my thoughts just as the lamps are being lighted in the shrine. Slipping off my branch to the floor below, I land lightly on all fours before crouching and slinking away. Once clear of the_ tori_ gates, I brush myself off and head back to my house.

Safe in my backpack is the folder that contains the end of my life as I know it, and more importantly, the possible end of the world. If the assassin decides to play their cards right. Still, I also have homework, meaning I wasted very important study time simply brooding over something that might or might not happen.

With that cheerful thought, I headed back to my house. Besides, it's not like there's been any Spirit Detectives in the area since my father and his friends retired. Right?

AN: Thanks for reading, please leave a review, all reviews are taken into consideration. Thank you!


	4. Like Father Like Son

-AN: Once again I'm back, posting this up right before I dash off to the anime convention tomorrow. Thanks for all your support so far, hope this was fast enough for you all.

Let it never be said that I am not an observant father. Of course I knew something was wrong the moment my son came home late from school. Even if he still smelled of sap and incense from the shrine at the local park, he never spends that much time with Kai. It was practically dark by the time he sauntered back into the house and I had resorted to making dinner. As usual, he held the self appointed swagger that he certainly hadn't learned from me. That could be entirely because I was not there to raise him during his more… critical years, you might say… and that idea still bothers me. But it's also something you get used to. There is no sense in crying over spilt milk.

Our dinner passed pleasantly and he retired to his room easily enough. I would hardly suspect him of something based solely on that fact alone. Keichi has always been more of the loner type when not vying for the desperate attentions of others. After pushing through the bevy of dishes I retire to my own room to pull out a stack of papers to grade.

I retired from the not-so-glamorous life of the Spirit Detective almost as soon as I had ceased to be a child; in human years at least. After all, attending college and dealing with the supernatural seemed too much of a workload and my parole had been served. There was no sense in pushing my luck any further, and soon after the old team broke up and we all went our separate ways. I didn't keep track of them over the years, dealing with my own loss of my lover, Keichi's mother. Later, I was told that Kazuma had been married in a simple ceremony to Yukina, and I still attest that the only reason he isn't dead and buried right now was by the providence that Hiei cared for his sister more than he despised his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

On my desk is a picture of the wedding sent to me by Kazuma many years ago. I can barely see it over all the books and essays that clutter my tabletop. It seems that with my years went my neatness, but I have different priorities now. I mean to examine another essay on the theories of botany and genetic engineering, but I get too caught up thinking fondly of memories I was really never a part of. Such as Yusuke finally marrying Keiko, though he's hardly home enough to be considered a constant element in the family.

Sighing, I wait until the moon hangs heavy in the sky and Keichi is inevitably asleep before walking to his room to check on him. He's slumped over his desk and my first tip off that something is wrong is that the book isn't his normal coursework at high school. Instead, it is a boring tech manual. In this rather advanced age of gizmos and gadgets, I don't think it's too unusual for him to brushing up on those things, but it's a sign that something is off. What with his mock college entrance exams drawing close, all I ever see him reading these days are study books and boring test-taking guides.

I move him to bed with little effort. It's amazing that all the time in the Guild didn't make him a light sleeper. In my younger days, that would have made a person dead… but I suppose perhaps he's simply grown used to the security of home. As I make to leave, I notice papers scattered under the tech manual. Picking the book up to put it back where it belongs I pause. The papers aren't homework and are in fact….

I am suddenly presented with two options. One is waking my son and yelling at him for taking a thieving job. The other is to wait and then yell at him for taking a thieving mission. I decide to wait; there's not hurry after all, and there's no need to judge him until he actually tries to pull off the mission. Knowing Keichi, he's not going to tell me, and I can't just ask him. So instead, I make sure nothing in his room appears to be moved and then take my leave back to my office.

Once the door is closed behind me, I find myself a little stunned. I don't honestly know how to respond. I should be angry, but how can I lecture my own son about mistakes I made in my past? I could argue that he should learn from my mistakes but it would be pointless. In doing so I'd simply compare him to me, and that's the last thing he wants to hear. As hard as it is going to be I know I have to let him make his own mistakes.

Still, it doesn't keep me from being bitter. I can't find solace in sleep, so I instead labor over the same page of an essay, my eyes not reading the words but simply scanning over the ink. Most fathers want their sons to be a chip off the old block, but to be honest; I just want him to himself. Preferably a law abiding version of himself.

"What are you doing awake?"

I start and look up. I was so entangled in my thoughts I didn't realize that Keichi was awake. Surprised, I mean to ask him what he's doing up at this hour, but the toothbrush in his hand and the minty remnants of toothpaste around his mouth let me know immediately. He had simply woken up and realized he hadn't had the time to brush his teeth.

"Oh… Just class work, Keichi," I reply lightly, rubbing at my eyes. "I'm sorry, did the light wake you?"

"Nah, I had too much caffeine before bed. Woke up all by myself." He shrugs and leans against the doorframe. Sometimes it's startling to see him; he looks so much like my younger self that, in the dim light, I can almost imagine his hair is red instead of auburn. Still, he holds himself differently than me. He's more standoff-ish, more aggressive in his movements. Even as he reclines casually against the door jam he seems to be tense. I used to think he was uncomfortable around me; I now know he's just uncomfortable in the world as a whole.

"Well you should get some more rest. Tomorrow may be Saturday, but that is no reason stay up all night," I reply, waving my red correcting pen at him and he rolls the one eye I can see. Since its night he's removed the eye patch, but now the right side of his face is hidden by unruly bed hair.

"Coming from you?? Jeez," he sighs, pushing himself to a standing position. He pauses before leaving, and for one shining moment I think he's going to tell me about the job… but then he simply walks back to his room, closing my door and I feel subtle disappointment.

I can't quite say how long I sat at my desk in the lamplight before I finally gave up. I'll just have to wish him his best on his mission later and hope he has a valid reason behind it all. Turning the small dial of the lamp once, the lights shut off and I lazily lie on top of my sheets and comforter and simply wait until I fall asleep. It takes longer than expected, and when it finally arrives, it is dreamless and brief, interrupted by the rising sun and the smell of eggs.

Yawning, I roll over to look at the old analog clock on the night stand and groan. It's only 8 am. Getting up, I go to fetch a robe or some other form of cover but realize that I'm fully clothed. Brushing the wrinkles from my slacks, I yawn and pass by a mirror. I'm a mess and my hair is getting long and shaggy. Chuckling, I muse on how sad it is that I've been too busy to keep up my appearance. Unlike Keichi, I've grown out of long hair and usually keep it well kempt and off the collar but now it's brushing against my shoulders in thick layers. Combing it out with my fingers, I amble to the kitchen to see the usual sight.

Standing in front of the stove is Keichi, slaving over a skillet that is filled with scrambled eggs being pushed around by an old spatula. He's still dressed in just his old plaid pajama bottoms and a slightly battered tank top. Upon seeing me pass by the countertop, he smiles and points to a plate.

"Grab some while it's hot," he orders me and I oblige, letting him push some onto my plate. "Didn't get a lot of sleep, huh?"

"Unlike some people, I have a job to tend to," I point out to him, adding salt and pepper to my breakfast before gently picking at it.

"Oh?? That sounds like a not-so-subtle jab," he muses and I shrug it off.

"Only if you take it to be. Do you have any plans for today?" I ask nonchalantly, and once again I hope that he'll tell me of his rather illicit plans. He doesn't.

"Besides studying? Dad, you have this crazy idea that I have a life outside of school. When was the last time you saw me hanging out with friends?" he asks me in good humor but I frown. Ever since we arrived back in my home town and the news of Youkai came to the open, I can't remember Keichi having a friend over to the house. I can't remember him making plans to hang out at a park or a mall or some other popular location. I know he's not entirely social, but this sort of behavior can't be good. Still, I don't pester him as he leaves the dishes for me to clean and he returns to his room once more.

Usually that's all I see of him for the rest of day until lunch when he comes out to eat a sandwich and watch the television, but rather out-of-character he emerges at eleven to lean against the counter as I finish putting the plates away from the dishwasher. Pausing to giving him a sideways glance. I wait for him to speak and it doesn't take long.

"Do you miss it?" he asks me, and to be quite honest I'm perplexed. Miss what? I wasn't aware I was missing much of anything at this point. Well, besides normal behavior from my son, but am I really one to judge on normalcy?

"No. Now what am I not missing?" I reply pleasantly back to him, and he frowns at me and shakes his head.

"I mean, do you miss the old days? Being a Spirit Detective?"

I pause, one dish still being polished by the continual movement of my towel over and over its smooth surface. It's a shame, no matter how new and improved you dishwasher becomes you will always find dishes that come out all wet and superheated. Never mind that, back to the question at hand. Do I miss it?? I toy with the idea before shaking my head. What a silly notion. I can tell Keichi is guessing my answer from my chuckle and I give him a reassuring smile.

"No. Good God no. Need I remind you your dear old dad was on parole during that time? I don't want to relive that for all the money in the world." I laugh easily now, shaking off the idea like water off an oil canvas and replace the last dish back into its cupboard.

"You don't miss the excitement? The adventure?" I can tell he's going to pester me until I give him a more thorough answer, and I sigh in defeat.

"No Keichi, I don't. It wasn't so much an adventure as… a horrible distraction." I shake my head, hoping to end the conversation right then and there, but the mischievous glint lets me know he's not done yet.

"Then what about your Yōkō Kurama days? Ever wish you could run around and steal things again?" he pesters, leaning a little closer to me. I begin to grow weary of the questioning. Standing firm, I cross my arms over my chest and shoot him a very stern 'don't try to push me further' stare.

"No. As strange as it may seem to you, I am quite happy with my little life here. I don't mind living in a quiet suburb, I don't mind having a simple job, but I _do_ mind this line of interrogation. What are you getting at?" My voice is no longer jovial and it has caught him off guard. Taking a few steps back, he is now on the defensive and he draws in on himself, hand tucked into pockets and chin angled down.

"It's just… you don't miss the action? The adventure?" he whines a little, and I sigh and lessen up, shaking my head.

"I don't mind any of this, Keichi. I wouldn't have met your grandmother if it wasn't for that lifestyle, yes… but that old lifestyle nearly got me killed. And need I remind you that when I was a Spirit Detective my life was on the line more than I'd like to remember?" I explain and he sighs, deflating against the wood beam of the kitchen door frame.

"Fine… so you're content to just be… Mr. Boring ol' Housewife??" he asks me, and I can tell he's lost the fight already. Shrugging, I smile.

"No, I'm content with being Mr. Boring ol' _Dad_," I inform him, ruffling his hair with one hand before heading off down the hallway and back to my office. Now that lunch is done with, I am reminded that I put off my grading once again last night to reminisce. Reluctantly, I find myself once more sitting behind my desk, though at least my room is now filled with daylight instead of dim lamplight and I pull the first essay towards me.

Perhaps Keichi's odd line of questioning earlier was his conscience nagging him? The idea strikes me as at least interesting, and the essay in my hands finds it way back to its brethren pile as I mull over the idea. Was he perhaps simply wondering, if I was in his shoes, I'd give up the relative peace and monotony of suburbia for a little more danger and spice. Of course, being Keichi he'd never ask outright; so would he instead try to pose it as a question on my moral integrity? I lean back in my chair, chin resting on my interwoven fingers. Now I worry. Had I given him the right answer? Was my complacency enough to sway him from his soon to be illegal lifestyle? Should I even be able to lecture on the subject?

"Pah. If he wanted my help, he'd ask," I say to myself, once again grabbing the essay from the stack and fetch my correcting pen from its drawer. Just as I place down the ballpoint to the paper to correct the writer on an improper heading, I just as quickly remove it and proceed to chew down on the end of the pen.

_You know your son well enough to know he wouldn't ask for help_, a nagging little voice hisses at the back of my mind and I frown. Waving it away hastily, I sigh. My hand reaches out for the phone, and I debate calling a friend to discuss my dilemma with them, but I pause. All my friends used to be Spirit Detectives or don't have cell phones that get reception in Makai. Sighing, I wonder what would happen if I call a colleague to talk about my son's soon-to-be criminal career. Well, I suppose that's not fair. Keichi was a criminal before he came to live with me. He would just revert to his old ways at this point; not so much start down a devious path.

Still, it's almost worth it to call up a fellow teacher and lament my problem to them. I toy with the idea a little more before I return my hand to my desk to fetch my correcting pen. I _will_ get my grading done. Yet… every time I stare down at the pages of my students work I can't think of anything past… this…. This huge insurmountable obstacle in fathering. Groaning, I slump over my desk, forehead pressed against the papers and ink, just trying to figure it all out. What would anybody else do in this situation? Because I'm not quite sure what I would do… Hiei would undoubtedly encourage the boy to spite Koenma. So perhaps I shouldn't take advice from fellow criminals.

Shiori… what would she have done? Wrought over the idea, I push myself away from my desk and stare past the ceiling, lost in my mind. If she had been aware what I had done in my younger years to save her life, would she have told me not to? Would I have listened to her at that point? Perhaps not; I was undoubtedly wrought with grief and was not exactly rational at that point. And even now I wouldn't have changed my decision even if it was possible.

"What on Earth are you doing?"

"Huh?" I sit up too fast and my head hurts, so it takes me a short while to figure out that the person standing in the doorway is Keichi. Rubbing at my temples and making a face, I groan, "Oh god, you scared me. What is it?"

"What are you doing?" he asks again. "Is there a spider on the ceiling again?" He glances warily up as he enters and I shake my head, letting the light-headedness subside.

"No, nothing like that. I was just thinking, that's all."

"About what this time? Aren't you supposed to be grading?" He picks up the essay I've been correcting for awhile now before tossing it back to its pile. "Your students aren't gonna be pleased. I was gonna ask if you wanted me to call out for dinner. It's getting late."

Is it? I glance at the clock as I'm surprised. I've been thinking on this a lot longer than I had expected.

"Sure, you know what I like." He nods in response to me and leaves to fetch the take-out menus. I glance at my papers and decide against trying to correct them. My students might enjoy my classes, but they certainly don't expect punctuality from me anymore. Instead of being disappointed, I find myself relieved. At least there's no real pressure. As I close the door to my room behind me, I see that Keichi has finished ordering dinner and has ambled down to the living room to watch T.V.

"Don't you have homework?" I tease as I head down the stairs to join him. My reply is derisive laugh.

"Yeah, but it's easy. Don't you have papers to grade?"

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Sighing, I let myself fall into the couch. Picking up my long cold mug of tea I left here God knows how long ago, I sip its chilled contents discontentedly. The T.V is on some random techno babble channel and I find myself already bored as Keichi watches it with at least some attentiveness. At least, as much as he can muster. I have never known the boy to really get interested in simply sitting.

We sit idly, watching the channel and waiting for the delivery boy. I watch the person the on the screen lecture how to get the best from your home computer by simply… doing… something to the hard drive… I think. I am not quite sure, I don't understand half of the words he's saying. Fed up after a good fifteen minutes of spacing out while my son watches intently I sit up, ready to demand the remote so we could at least both zone out to some random sitcom, but it is then I hear the doorbell. Before Keichi can even attempt to stand I am already off the couch and in the entryway, the door flying open upon the rather surprised young man who holds out the white plastic bag.

"Wow! That was quick!" he states and the fact that his other hand is ready to make a second knock helps to concrete his statement.

"I am very hungry," I explain politely, reaching into my back pocket to fish out my wallet and flipping through the bills.

"That'll be-"

"Same as always," I interject and hold out a small wad of bills. He takes them, counts them quickly and reaches into his pocket to give me my change, but I just hold up a hand. "No worries, the rest is a tip. Take care not to step on the plants on the way out."

He nods and waves, happy with the rather generous tip, and follows the brick path out of my rather robust garden. As I turn to bring the food into the living room, I am caught by surprise as Keichi has already left the couch and snatched the bag from my hand. Nose twitching delicately as he checks out the food, he shrugs and heads back to the couch.

"Not bad. I forgot how good their food is," he notes and I sigh, rejoining him at the couch as he flips through the channel with one hand and lays out the small Styrofoam boxes. The little wood chopsticks break cleanly as I tug them apart, and I wait as Keichi takes his pick of the chow mein and egg foo young before I settle on the closest box and find egg rolls.

"Do you have homework left to do?" I ask after three commercial breaks, and he pauses to swallow before shaking his head. For a second I think he's going to talk but instead he goes back to eating while I stew quietly. I want to ask him why on Earth he's doing something so dumb like stealing… and why he feels the urge not to talk to me of all people about it… but I can't bring myself to speak. There has to be good, honest reason for all of it. Then I remember that it is Keichi I am talking about and my hopeful thoughts shrivel up. "So you're doing nothing this weekend?" I pressure and he pauses, noodles still hanging from his lips.

"No. I am doing nothing. Jeez, what's with the inquisition?" he asks-- a little defensively if you ask me-- and I hold up my hands to indicate innocence and go back to nibbling on my food, not as interested as I was earlier. The rest of our dinner ends in utter silence before he excuses himself to bed, leaving me with the empty boxes and a TV tuned to the music video channel. Sighing, I gather up the trash and walk it out to the garbage can. I know that I have homework to grade, but I know I won't be able to get it done tonight. So instead of heading back into the house, I simply walk through my garden to clear my thoughts.

I hadn't expected my future to turn out like this, though I hardly expect any of my old teammates had the same ideas either. I suppose Yusuke had it in his head that everything would turn out alright, and then we could all retire in to our respective lives and pastimes; be it our family, our friends, or our petty crimes. It's been said that time is destined to repeat itself, so should it be any surprise to me that my son is preparing to head down the same path I did when I was his age? In fact, I should have probably seen it coming; Keichi isn't the type to sacrifice himself for others (or his mother for that matter), so he would be less encumbered than I was to turn to a life of felony. Which makes me wonder; if my son was turning down my path, does that mean that Yusuke's eldest child is going to get hit by a car saving a child? I would have probably heard about that one, most likely through a dryly cynical phone call from Hiei. Unlike me he's never been the type to retire to a quiet, law abiding life, but I hardly envy him for it.

But that's getting beside the point, and you must forgive me for my old ramblings. As I ponder exactly what happened to just about everything, I sit myself down at the base of the tree outside of Keichi's room and wait. Like clockwork, as the sun sets I hear rustling above me and a shadow slides down it in my peripheral vision. Quickly, I snag it and tug down hard, sending Keichi out of the branches and onto the grass next to me with a startled yelp. As it jumps up ready to fight, I just give him a bored stare and brush my hands off as I stand up.

"Going nowhere tonight, hm?" I ask, and his face pales visibly in the twilight. He immediately drops his hands to his sides, and then fiddles when them, as though unsure of what to do with them. In the end he settles with clasping them behind his back. It's slightly amusing, considering he now appears to be in parade rest position.

"Just… meeting some friends up… for a … study… group…" he said the last part forlornly, as though unbelieving that he would say something so horribly dumb and clichéd. Clicking my tongue at him as I shake my head in disappointment, I watch as he tries to pick up the last of his pride. He has a few options for reactions and he knows it. He could apologize and climb back up the tree. Unreasonable, considering he seems somewhat desperate. Also, the Keichi I know wouldn't give up over something so trivial as getting caught. He could attempt to attack me and run, but that would be deadly. For him. Though it does bring up the very pressing question if I could attack my own son.

Luckily, I don't have to dwell on the thought long as Keichi settles for the indignant option fast. Crossing his arms over his chest as the portrait of teenage defiance, he tosses his hair over a shoulder, and I suppose he thinks he looks cool or impressive or something else he's not. His human form is pretty… but unimposing. Regardless, I give him points for trying.

"Gonna lecture me? Don't steal, right? Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" he mocks, his tone light and derisive despite his legs shivering slightly. I then realize I've been glaring at him, angry at his tone of voice, his behavior, his posture… everything. Why do I have to have an unruly child?!

"…" I pause then shrug. "No. I already came to the conclusion that it'd be useless. You wouldn't listen to me anyway. If I wanted to stop you, I'd have to break your legs."

"Damn right!" He seems to be gaining strength, and I stop my lecture to give him an icy glare. He shuts his mouth quickly and seems to visibly shrink against the shadows of the house.

"I said I wasn't going to stop you; that does not mean you're getting off free. I don't know what you're going off to do, I don't know why you're going to do it, but I do know what will happen if you get caught. Don't repeat my mistakes, Keichi; I've made more than enough for you to learn from. So please, listen to your father for once and just go back to your room." I give a weary sigh, and I can feel a heavy weight settle on my shoulders as he stares back at me with his one eye. "This isn't going to work is it?"

"…" He wilts, his frustration, indignation and anger all fading as he fidgets before my gaze before running a hand through his hair. "I don't expect you to understand, Dad, but I have to do this. So, thanks for trying to be a father and trying stop me. Really. But you don't… understand."

Bowing his head, he stands before me chastened in way I haven't seen before. If I wasn't already used to the bizarre mood swings of my son, I might have been concerned about his behavior. Seeing as how he usually flips between maudlin and morose, I simply end up guessing which emotion is his true intention. When he starts to speak again his voice cracks roughly, and he doesn't get embarrassed as he usually would but instead turns to leave, hoisting his satchel bag over his shoulder.

"Just trust… trust me on this one. I gotta make my own mistakes."

As he turns to leave, I pick up a rock and toss it lightly at his head, making contact. He turns around, exclaiming his surprise with "OW!" and rubbing at the spot on the back of his head confusedly. I don't smile, because that would only encourage the behavior, but I am not angry. I know he's right. People have to make their own dumb mistakes, and he's no different.

"If you mess this up, you're grounded," I state, realizing how lame it sounds and end up laughing seconds later. Keichi joins in quietly before nodding his head and saluting.

"Whatever you say, pops." Before he races off into the shadows, I see his hair flash silver and before I can blink he's gone. Sighing, I return to sitting under the tree. I am not calm; I'm damn furious at not being able to stop him, but who knows. This ordeal might make him grow up a little. This phase of adolescent self-destruction needs to end anyway. As I return inside, I hear that the phone has been ringing and I rush to catch whoever it is before the answering machine beats me to it.

"Hello?" I ask breathlessly, and I'm surprised to hear a voice I haven't heard in ages.

"KURAMA! God man, its been freaking AGES. Glad you didn't change your number!" It's a rough male voice, tough and hardened but still filled with a sort of cocksure nature that only comes from being a street punk.

"Yusuke?! What on earth are you doing calling me? It's midnight!" I glance at the clock on the phone's charger. Damn, midnight already… Keichi sure chose a clichéd time to sneak out.

"Yeah, about that…" he pauses, and then speaks up again dramatically. "Ever long for the old days? Miss being a Spirit Detective?"

"No." My answer is as flat as when Keichi asked me it earlier, and I wonder aloud "What on Earth is with people asking me this?"

"Aw, really man?" Obviously my answer isn't what Yusuke wanted to hear, and I can hear him taking a breath to argue his point to me, but I speak up hastily to try and intercept it.

"Do I miss erratic hours, terrible competitions and risking my tail to save the world? No. Some of us aren't adrenaline junkies like you, Yusuke. Some of us have papers to grade and jobs to keep." My voice ends up being far more harsh that I intend, but it does the job as he pauses and stays silent for a second. Should I apologize? But what for? I'm only being honest. Yusuke is of a… different breed… than the rest of us. After Keichi came into my life and my mother passed away, I found that living a peaceful life was enough. Sure, not as glamorous as my previous job, but certainly better. At least I am not a petty criminal on parole anymore.

"Ouch man, cold." He isn't fazed. Or even insulted. I wonder if he has either noticed my slight insults and ignored them… or is simply as oblivious always. "Well, I got Kazuma to join me. Turns out our kids decided to join the Spirit Detectives… wild, huh?"

"Yeah, insane. What does this have to do with me?" I sigh, slipping my shoes off and placing them on the wood shelves, phone pinned to my ear.

"Koenma wants some back-up for our kiddos. Something about getting tipped off about some thieves planning to steal from the Underworld Relics. Crazy, huh? Déjà vu!" He laughs, but I grow cold. It couldn't be Keichi… right?

"And… you're there… and Kazuma… and your children…?" I speak slowly, and I must sound horribly dense, but really I'm just gauging the power. If it _IS_ Keichi… he's toast. Bless the kit, but he isn't nearly good enough to take down the Rekai Tentai.

"Yup. Wanted to see if you wanted to join in for old times sakes. I tried to call Hiei, but I think he destroyed his phone."

"….Yeah… he has caller ID…" I am suddenly feeling a bit washed out. Even as I think that this group of thieves CAN'T involve Keichi, I know it does. Sitting down in the entry of my house, I listen to Yusuke rant about Hiei not changing at all, but I don't listen. Finally, he asks me to join them one last time and I shake my head, despite him being unable to see it.

"Yusuke, I'm done. I'm retired. I quit. I have papers to grade. Don't do something stupid." With those parting words of wisdom I hang up but by no means do I leave the entryway. I have two options. To do nothing, or to try and stop Keichi. The rational part of my parental mind urges me to track down my son and warn him.

_Naaah, let the kid learn. After all, he said he had to make his own mistake. If this IS Keichi they are going after… he'll learn one HELL of a lesson,_ a voice urges me in my head. If this were a cartoon, a devil and an angel would have been arguing. Seeing as how it is not, instead I simply sigh and dust off my hands.

"Good luck, Keichi," I say aloud and resolutely walk up the stairs to my office. He wanted to make his own mistakes. He will very soon learn that doing that is smart way to get you killed. Regardless, either way he'll get an interesting story out of it. Sitting behind my desk and flicking on the lamp, I pull forward my first paper. Sure, he could get injured or chased, but maybe next time when he tries something stupid he'll stop. And THINK.

What a new concept!

-AN: Thanks for reading through, please read and review if you feel so inclined. I take all suggestions and criticisms seriously and will respond to each one of you. I hope you all are enjoying the rewrites of the story and please stay tuned for the next chapter! (And yeah, I know. I'm writing long chapters… what's with that?)


	5. What Goes Around

-AN: Sorry about the long wait, life happened and I'm back and should be updating at a relatively decent rate. So, please enjoy.

It is only after wandering around the city for an hour looking at the cryptic map made for me by the assassin that I realize that for once I might not be killed due to my own incompetence. I blame being late entirely on her poor skills in making a map that appears to be drawn by a person having a seizure while hopped up on five energy drinks and a variety of drugs (mainly Speed). Of course people who actually own important things like… underworld artifacts… don't live in an easy to reach apartment buildings or housing developments. No. Because that would make my life bearable. Trekking through the forest like a wannabe hiker I recount to myself all the bad karma that has led up to this moment because surely this course of events is the equivalent of cosmic slap in the face.

Finally I see through a clearing in the trees the small dark figure of my (hopefully) temporary employer and I can tell by the droll stare given by their single red eye that they are not pleased. Laughing nervously I goofily wave at them and before I can even give a half-assed explanation as to why I'm late they speak.

"Good to see you finally made it."

Seething I scream inside my head at her that my tardiness is entirely dependant on the poor instructions to the location but I just give a taut smile. They give me a baleful once over and seem at least pleased on my choice of dress, and for that matter, race.

"I haven't seen a kitsune in full glory in awhile," they note and I have to agree with them. I haven't _been_ in my full glory in awhile. Of course that's on the basis that it's hard to find pants that accommodate a tail. That and the whole people not liking demons wandering around looking like… well… demons. Remember, when in Rome. Still, something nice about not pretending I suppose.

"Yeah, won't see one for a long time after this," I reply pulling back my hair away from my face with a rubber band and rummaging around my bag before pulling out a laptop and following them towards the dimmed building. It is a modest sized house, what you'd expect to find nestled in the woods, but I can practically taste the enchantments hidden inside. Hardly your average hermit's house. "Hate to ask this but why does some human have important mystical objects?"

"Not everything powerful belongs to Enma. There's a market here among the humans who want power for a reasonable price," they explain drolly, walking cautiously towards the building and we reach the back door at an agonizingly careful pace. The back door of all things… how clichéd. Regardless I see the punch pad for the electronic security system located near the door and I hear my partner sigh.

"Technology," is all they say and I assume they were hoping for a more mystical based protection. After all, that is what Kitsune's are good at. Of course I'm not a teenager in this technophilic land for nothing. I run a finger over the crème coloured casing and find a small USB port. A quick rummage through my satchel bag yields the cord I want and in no time I'm hooked up and going to town on the system on my small laptop. People tend to put too much pride into things like home security systems. Everything has a computer chip and that means everything can be manipulated.

"How long is this going to take?" my partner asks firmly and I shrug. I don't have an answer because I'm not sure how long the password is for the house. Silence settles upon us and for once I have to say its welcome as just hearing them talk makes me nervous. Something about the cold, emotionless tone of the voice gives me the impression that they just might kill me once my job is done.

I glance around the house and notice that it's a prime location if something does go down, like if my partner really does decide I've outlived my usefulness. Enough plants to keep me alive if things get hairy. When I glance back at my computer screen I smile and begin to unplug it from the console.

"Security has been disarmed," I explain and as if to test my words the assassin opens the door with one black gloved hand. It swings open easily, not even needing oil, and I smile expectantly at them but get nothing in return. They just keep walking into the house. Oh well, it wasn't like I was expecting a "good job" but it would have been nice. As we step into the house of "whoever own this place and has a penchant for buying demonically gifted items and is a complete nutter" (as I like to call them) I make sure my shoes aren't dirty and that my tail is clear of the door before closing it behind us. Of course my partner doesn't wait to see if I'm behind them or not and it ends up with me racing to catch up, out of breath and just a little vexed.

"You shouldn't close the door just in case you need to make a quick getaway," the shadow lectures me and I roll my eyes.

"Jeez, this isn't a video game. If the zombies start chasing us I'll just press square reeeeeaaaal fast and kick the door in," I groan, "If somebody happens by the house they're gonna wonder why the door is open. I'd rather not draw suspicion if something DOES go down." God forbid of course. I don't want to imagine what would happen if a fight broke out. Either the assassin would kill everybody… or would kill me… or would abandon me to my fate… or any combination of those three options. All of which sound miserable and quite probable, if not possible.

"I don't enjoy your little quips."

"You just don't get what I'm referencing," I shoot back. We are wandering around the hallways of the house when I sense what they're going after. A small sensation of spiritual residue makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up straight and subconsciously my ears flatten against my head aggressively.

"Get me in."

"Oh yes, mas'sa," I mutter under my breath opening what appears to be a door to a closet and pushing aside a small collection of trench coats. Inside is something straight out of a supernatural Bond movie. A spiritual seal of surprisingly complexity covers a false wall and one knock lets me know that there's a room inside. Placing my hands on the seal I feel the energy like threads woven together to keep me out and I grin. This is nothing but child's play for someone like me, mainly a hyperactive teenager with a penchant for puzzles and thievery in his own DNA. I close my eyes, not needing them for what I'm about to do and as usual I lose myself in the task. When the seal finally unravels around my fingers like ruined silk thread I open my eyes and push open the door.

I'm stunned. It's a spacious room that greets me, painted the same bland white as an art gallery with plain wood floors. Inside it are three rows of square pedestals holding a variety of other-worldly knickknacks all contained behind glass. As I step inside to check it out I notice that my partner slips past me as lithe as a panther and makes a beeline for a very specific item. That sword that Kai warned me might (or might not) end life and everything as I know it.

I almost take a few steps forward when I notice something is off. The air has a slight hum to it, akin to a nearly silent dog whistle. Holding out a hand to stop my partner they give me a bored glance as I run a hand over the door jam's steel lining. Something seems off and sure enough as my fingers brush across the burnished metal a small panel opens.

"Great, just fan-freaking-GREAT," I curse. I'm eating my words from earlier, how I state that people have too much faith in silly things like security systems. Lying before me a top-of-the-line beauty, a custom job from a fancy company somewhere in Europe with a name I can't pronounce without a healthy dose of phlegm.

"What's wrong now?" the cold voice demands and I wince, fishing out my laptop and finding a suitable access port. I'm already pulling up the programming and wishing I didn't have to see everything that was laid out before me.

"Not good the place is rigged with motion sensor laser. There's a failsafe implemented. Without a retinal scan I won't be able to keep this system offline for more than a minute. Tops. Then it'll snap back on and we better kiss our sweet asses goodbye," I explain, chewing on a thumbnail and feeling the daggers being glared into the back of my neck.

"How long will it take you to remove the spells on the item?" they ask me calmly and I glance over the room. I see the long rectangular case where the sword is most likely contain and try my best to sniff out the spell from our location.

"About 30 seconds if you rush me, you can't be serious!"

"Disarm the lasers, Kitsune," they snap at me and I wince. No manners these days between criminals, I tell you. Our shady lot used to things like standards but now.. psh. Fine, they want to rush this fine. But if so much as a laser touches my heel I'm outta this house faster than you can flip a coin. With a few keystrokes I hear the security system's humming die out and before I can even inform my employer that the lasers are disarmed I feel a firm had at the base of my collar. With a firm jerk I find myself half running/half being dragged at dazzling speeds towards the spelled case.

"Disarm it," they snarl and I struggle to gain my balance before placing a hand on the case and feeling out the spells. As complicated as I was guessing, though understandable; if I owned a sword capable of possibly ending all life as we know it I'd guard it pretty damn well as well. As I had guessed it took around 30 seconds to effectively tear through every spell and before my hand even leaves the glass the assassin is already on the move. Placing a hand on the glass I watch as the material seems to bubble and finally drip away from their hand. As they go to draw the sword from its case I hear a foreboding humming and glance at my watch. Great, the system has decided to turn on a good 25 second early.

"GET OUT NOW!" I roar, already on the run across the room and leaping past the lasers just as they turn on. Panting I check my body over. Sure they're just motion sensing lasers but I thought for a second I might have left a lung, a heart or perhaps my spine back next to stand. It's amazing that the alarm hasn't gone off yet and I glance inside the room to see the assassin contorted strangely to avoid tripping any, the room now filled with a thick mist emanating from a small metal orb they had tossed on the ground, effectively revealing the lasers.

"Can you turn them off again?" they ask me but I know it's pointless. That's the point of a failsafe otherwise I would have simply sat next to my computer and repeatedly turned the security system off. Shaking my head I again hear a dark curse word and start to pack up my equipment. Or at least… I was packing up my equipment until I watched the lithe form of the assassin move effortless through the labyrinthine maze like a very enchanting snake. By the time they reach me on the safe side of the closet I'm grinning like a dunce. If only they were female. And single. And not filled with killing intent.

"Are you done yet?" their voice snaps me out my daydreams of a busty model pulling off the same moves and I nod my head, sliding my laptop into my pack. "Sorry you couldn't steal anything for yourself," they add and I think they might even be sincere. But what would I want to steal? A dried up kappa hand? A glowing orb? A menacing looking mask? No thanks.

"I just want to get out of here. This place give me the creeps," I reply and head for the exit of the room and as I emerge from the closet my heart stops. I see a flashlight shining through a window in the living room. Faster than you can blink I whip back in amid the coats and motion to my partner. "We have company!" I hiss.

Muttering something that I assume to be a swear word off darkly to themselves the assassin strides over to my hiding spot and chances a glance into the adjacent living room of the house. The bright LED light cuts through the foggy window panes and soon they are joining me in the closet.

"Tell me who we're dealing with," they order and I pause. Are they serious? A second glance lets me know that indeed they are and I groan before taking time to listen intently. I now know it's possible to actually strain your ears to the point that you think they might actually pull a muscle.

"There's nuthin' here," a male voice states and I think nothing of it. Just some passerby.

"Ya sure? Koenma said he got a tip off about all of this," a second, more rough male voice states and I freeze. Koenma. Which means these aren't just people wandering through the woods but…

"Spirit Detectives," I explain and again the assassin gives a dark curse in a language I don't understand. Glancing around I notice that they're heading for the front door and I motion to the backdoor as our escape route. Of course the assassin is already heading for it and now its my turn to swear. They're planning on ditching me of all things. Not one to be outdone I race after them and luckily they've left the door open. Pushing past it I slide it open and glance out at the forest. Its dark as hell but that's the perks of demonic eyesight and all that. Instead everything is bathed in the unearthly blue tones of the moon and wait until I hear the spirit detectives opening the front door, surprised that its unlocked, before I take off bolting into the forest.

As I take off after the afterimage of the assassin I suddenly see a flash of light from out of the corner of my eye and I spin around to face the glowing blue light of spirit energy coming straight for me. Barely managing to dodge out of the way it still hits my right leg with surprising intensity that felt strangely like getting hit with an aluminum baseball bat. Skidding to the ground I look up at the shooter and find not a man but a young woman, around my age, standing there. One hand is bracing her wrist and she's grinning like a madman at me. The faint glow at the tip of her finger lets me know she's ready for another one and I tense, ready to dodge if need be.

"FOUND 'EM!" she calls out and I see the shadows of three people running toward the girl and its when she speaks that I recognize her finally. Midori. My classmate, the one with a fiery temper and soft spot for yokai rights, standing before me ready to fire off another shot of spirit energy. I glance to the forest to see that my teammate has already fled to what I can only assume is safety and I curse them in my head as I push myself to stand, leg aching something terribly.

"Thought you could steal and just get away with it!" she snarls, firing off another round as her partners rushed to catch up with her and I barely manage to dodge again. At least it doesn't hit me. At this point I want to point out her violence towards the yokai she fights so passionately for and almost feel like accusing her of racism induced violence but I know it's a lie. She's only doing this because she's driven by some inane sense of justice. Just like her father. Always the idiot.

As I take off running towards the trees and possible safety it clicks. The elder male voice that I heard commenting on the emptiness of the house was none other than her father. Yusuke Urameshi. Famed thug, miscreant, old friend of my father and of all things… best damn spirit detective ever. Hell, we do reports of Rekai and their fighters in elementary school, so I know about him. I also know that he loves a good fight and that if her actions around the school are any indication his daughter assuredly inherited this trait.

So running is my only option. I'm a lover, not a fighter, ladies. Staying around in this joint would only prove useless. If Yusuke is here that means his old buddy Kazuma is nearby and most likely the gravelly voice from earlier. Giving her a wry salute I take off towards the forest, pushing my legs to pump as fast as they possibly could. Sure, I might be one of the three slowest runners in my gym class in high school but when not pressured to look, act and in all affects BE a normal human it's amazing how the body manages. The length of this clearing seems to stretch before my very eyes and I can hear the tennis shoe clad feet of Midori pounding down the grass behind me.

"FREEZE!" she screams and I want to laugh. In the history of crime… who has ever actually obeyed that! Good lord, if that ploy worked on every criminal Al Capone wouldn't have his own jail cell in Alcatraz and I'd be one very dead Kitsune. Right behind is a flash of light and deafening bang, the shockwaves of which send me stumbling forward a little bit, arms pin-wheeling pathetically to regain my balance. Freaking idiot shot a Spirit Gun right off where I was only moments ago!

I take refuge behind a large tree the first chance I get as I gloriously reach the forest and turn to glace at the people chasing me. In the moonlight I can see Midori running towards me in her full rage, finger glowing in the ready like some cop out of a bad public broadcast crime show. Right behind her is her father, a beast of a man and if I remember my dad's stories correctly a legitimate combat junkie. He looks the part, itching for a possible fight with me like a crack head in need of a very bad fix, a grin spreading across his face. Close on his heel is his old sidekick and partner Kazuma, looking rather tired and somewhat exasperated with the whole ordeal.

Then I see him. The last person on EARTH I'd expect to find here in this godforsaken glen. The Half-breed boy, the new recruit to my school… what's his face. Blue-san. Looking rather serious, though I assume its his default expression, he is moving with surprising speed across the grass. Unlike the Urameshi's he's not brandishing a weapon, not if he is like his father who, if I remember correctly, can make a light saber or whatnot out of his spiritual energy. I didn't listen to these parts of my father's stories and now I regret it.

"Bad situation, isn't it?" a voice mutters overhead and I jump, looking to where the noise echoed from and I find my employer, sitting calmly in a tree branch.

"Great, here to watch the poor sap run!" I hiss, "This was NOT part of the deal. I call bullshit on this!" Pausing I glance back to where the figure approach and I give her a dark glare "Or I will if I survive this."

"Calling me a liar? I never promised that you'd live," they say calmly, hopping from one tree to another with surprising grace while I slip across the forest floor.

"I'd expect more honor from someone like you!" I snarl, quickly moving from one hiding place to another when suddenly I find the assassin standing before me. GREAT! She's just going off me here. Can't even make a traitorous plea bargain and hope for a jail where they won't rape me up the bum. Sure I'll go to hell for being such a turncoat but I can run easily from death… not so much Spirit Detectives at this moment strangely. Instead they draw their sword but not to slash at me, but to hold at a defensive ready position.

"Never insult my honor again or I will be tempted to slay you on the spot," they growl and I pause before filling with hope. OH THEY ARE GOING HELP ME! Then I promptly realize that my survival of being jail free is dependant on whether or not I can truly trust the shadows. The ones oozing death and a very murderous notion. Oh good gods I'm screwed. Nodding my head I quell my uneasiness. After all, tough times makes strange bedfellows. I think that's how that saying goes. I am most likely wrong and I will accept that because at the moment… quoting some saying correctly is at the bottom of my list of things to worry about. I have far bigger fish to fry.

"Right, never again," I nod my head eagerly before adding "But I don't owe you jack shit." And with that I took off running. With any luck the assassin would be able to take on the brunt of the force that those idiots were going to force on me leaving me to deal with the dregs and I'm a rather large fan of that notion. I was home free!

That is until I jinxed it just a second ago and sipped on a piece of ice. ICE. In the freaking FOREST in SPRING. Taking to the ground hard I hear the gravelly voice of Kazuma call out praise to his son and as I push myself off the floor I give the ice below me a furious punch, only succeeded in damaging my hand. By the time I finally manage to get to the grass the Kuwabara team has caught up to me and a give a harsh smile.

"Well, this hardly seems fair," I quip.

Remember how I likened this whole experience to a cosmic slap in the face? I've come to realize at this very moment that this is far more like a karmic sucker punch to the kidney. THANKS Karma.

-AN: Thanks for reading, please review if it so tickles your fancy. Any and all comments/criticisms/suggestions are taken seriously and I will message you back ASAP. Take care, and as always, be seeing you.


	6. To Catch a Thief

-AN: Surprisingly, I'm not dead. I apologize for the wait for anybody who was waiting, if I could I'd explain why, but I doubt any of you really want me to go on about my personal life. The Kid's lives are so very much more interesting. Please enjoy, I do hope that it was worth the wait.

It is interesting to note as I chased one of the thieves through the surprisingly expansive forest that I am actually in better shape as adult that I was as a kid. That's what clean livin' does for you and I would have to thank my wife for that. No more junk food and man has it made a difference. With my son keeping pace easily next to me we reach the thief in no time thanks to a carefully placed ice patch.

The moment the thief stands and faces us I can't help but admit it catches me off guard. He's younger than I had thought, in fact he might even be the same age as my son with the thin face all kitsunes seem to share. Maybe working with people like Kurama (and by that I mean pretty boys) dulled me to the effects of a delicate male face but this fox comes generically good lookin' and like the rest of his kind pale as paper. The only thing that catches my eye is the long scar that traces across his left eye, the mark slightly more pink than the rest of him.

Despite the situation he's caught in the thief manages a grin and simply says "Well this hardly seems fair." I wanna debate him on that issue, seein' as how he's full demon and probably older that both me and my son combined but I notice how one clawed hand is restin' over his side and I can tell from his wheezy breath that something is broken. Urameshi used to make that noise a lot after a particularly fun fight. So maybe the fight'll be fairer if he has a few busted ribs.

Then, without any warning, the fox turns on his heel and starts to run. Cussin' I take off after him and I'm thankful that he's slowed down by the inability to really breathe. Taking a swing at him he blocks and jumps back, nearly stumbling as he rebounds and just grins again, somewhat more weakly than before.

"How about this, old man…. I'm pretty weak at this point so let's make this a little more even. Just you and me!" he offers and I pause.

"Alright," I nod my head and Samui goes to protest but stops. He knows me. I've never been a fan of two guys takin' down one injured schmuck so I can't really say no. Out of the corner of my eye my son takes a few steps back but looks ready to intervene at any moment and I feel safer knowing he's lookin' out for me, in case something goes wrong. I expect something to go wrong. I'm about to corner a kitsune and go against Kurama's cardinal rule.

Just as I'm thinkin' the fox throws the first punch with surprising speed for somebody with a busted rib. Blocking easily with a forearm I slide to the left and swing at him with my free hand but he had already sidestepped and with his fists at the ready again. Quick little bugger but nothing I can't handle. I wasn't gonna be usin' my sword just yet as he hadn't used any power either.

And so I thought the fight would proceed. I'm pretty sure that I can best a demon in something as simple as fisticuffs. Or at least I could beat _this _demon who seemed rather out of sorts when it came hand to hand fighting. Then he decides to pull a cheap trick.

As I go to bash his face in, and hopefully knock him out, I'm met with the face of my wife. Her large crimson eyes are filled with tears as she touches her pinky finger to her mouth in an endearing fashion. Teal hair falls over her left eye and she stares up at me.

"KAZUMA!" she cries out and I freeze, caught off guard. In retrospect I must have known this was not my wife but it won't stop me from letting my fist drop.

"Yukina?" I ask in a stunned voice. Then the face of the apparition before me twists into a cruel imitation of my wife as a sneer spreads across her face.

"Heh… hello there HONEY!" she snarls and an elbow collides with my stomach, knockin' the wind out of me and I stumble a few steps back and catch the foot of the asshole impersonatin' my wife. Pulling him close with a hard yank I immediately punch 'em in the face and push 'em back. As they slide a good foot or two away the wipe the blood from the corner of my wife's stolen face and I can see from the disheveled hair that the one gold eye remained and its scar stood out angrily against the pale skin.

"Get outta that form now or else I'm going to get serious," I warn him, well aware that the kitsune just wanted to get a rise outta me. Fine, his funeral. I was gonna go easy because he's just a kid… kit… what do those fox demons call their brats? NOT the important factor here.

"Feh, you're no…. fun," the thief spits a little blood onto the grass as he shifts out my wife's form, letting her image fall from him like silk. "Can't blame a guy for wanting to escape," he adds the last part with a sullen tone of a chastised child. Mind you _my_ kids don't take those tones, they're saints. I pity the father of this monster.

"If you let us take you in you'll get a trial an' I won't have to punch you anymore," I offer. I'd like all this to end without pissin' off a kitsune but as soon as I finish my sentence he stands a little taller in indignation.

"I don't plan on heading to Reikai for trial by _your_ hands," he states plainly, "I'd rather die than be brought in by you lot." Normally I'd just think this was some pointless banter and kick his ass anyway but I know the look in his eyes. Its conviction stronger than most and I know he's not lying.

"Well now, I don't want that at all," I reply and he speaks up immediately. No accountin' manners in kids these days. Not that I should be one to lecture.

"So then you plan to kill me? Even with your son watching? Well if those are the stakes I'll have to kill you first," he states with an unnerving calmness. I watch as he kneels to pick up a piece of grass and part of me wonders why I am letting him monologue. After all, I might be able to knock him out right here and now… but that would be dishonorable and I'll eat Urameshi's training socks before I break my code.

"I'm not afraid of that. A brat like your's probably still wet behind the ears. I doubt you've taken a life," I reply and my statement has an odd effect on him. He simply pauses then glances up at me with a face to stern it mighta been made outta stone. With a flick of his wrist the small piece of grass has turned into a suitable blade and when he speaks again the smooth tone is replaced with a rougher edge.

"Then I must prove you wrong by taking your life. You can judge my skill at it then," the last part is said in a teasing little whisper. Seein' as how he whipped out his grass blade I decide to pull out my own weapon. A little rusty but the skill comes to me easily, like ridin' a bike and soon there's the familiar sensation of ki in my hand. Just in time too as in a flash of silver the fox is at my throat already. Blocking his blade I shove him back and duck down to push my strength into jamming my fist into his stomach. I'm not gonna kill this kid, just block the sword with my own.

As I fervently dodge the sharp green blade I realize just how luck I am that I used to train with a Kitsune. This brat had the same moves that I had memorized to rote, just tipped in enough killing intent to keep me on my toes. As I fall into the steady rhythm I can see the fox is losing himself to somethin'. I'm placing my money on rage. Of course just when I think I have the upper hand my sword arm catches on something and I glance over to see a tree branch has wrapped itself around my wrist. Great. Just great. The kitsune rushes for an attack but I manage to jump out of the way, clutching the offending branch and trying to rip my hand free. Of course it did nothing, damn kitsunes. Shoulda expected him to not fight fair and involve the trees. Which brings up a terrifying prospect. We're in a freakin' forest. HIS domain. As the fox rushes toward me to slice at my back I drop down on him, arm still caught and punch in square in the forehead. It only succeeds in making him growl. Instantly my other hand is caught by another branch and I find myself cursing every bit of luck that brought me here. A damn brat was gonna try and kill me!

Turing on the ball of his foot he made as though to rush an attack, the tip of the sword coming over closer to my throat when, just as it was about to pierce me, I make eye contact. If I gotta die I might as well face it like a man.

'Cept the blow never comes. Instead his unnatural eyes just grow wide in a moment of inscrutable terror or… remorse? I don't have long to dwell on his expression as a sudden chill rockets through the air sending the fox's skinny form flipping through the air like a ragdoll. He hits the now iced floor with a heavy thud and I hear another rib crack. I guess the only reason he didn't scream was because he couldn't breathe. His concentration broken the tree drops me to the impromptu skating rink and I look around to see my son crouching on the floor, the ice commin' from his hands.

Now I'm torn because while my son was brave in protecting me… I also know that that Kitsune wasn't gonna strike me down. Of course I can't make either observation as at a growl issues from the lips of the demon as he struggles to get himself up off the ice but he fails miserably. It's rather pathetic to see the guy struggling to get up but his busted ribs and own inability to get a handhold on the ice keeping him down better than any muscled arm.

"Do NOT strike my family!" My son exclaims, somewhat breathless and I can see that the attack took quite a bit out of him. Even though his voice is icy cold the Kitsune starts laughing, slipping onto his back and breathing heavily.

"So the… halfbreed… has some power, ne?" he asks incredulously, wiping the smattered of blood around his mouth off with the back of his hand. It's painful to watch the guy breathe but I can't help but find a little joy in it. If there's one thing I can't stand its racists. With great pride I've raised Samui to never be ashamed of being half demon but its damn hard when people like this guy decide to take things into their own hands and throw about their racial slurs.

'Yes well… this… halfbreed," my son says the word reluctantly and in a bitter tone of voice as he steps towards the injured demon. "… will bring you into Koenma to pay for your crimes."

"Crimes? You're speaking like… I've done more than just… break into a house…" The kitsune laughs dryly, pushing himself across the ice to lean against a tree trunk for support and then his head slumped forward and his eyes closed. If I didn't hear his wheezy breathes I mighta thought he was dead. For a moment there was silence between my son and I before he walked calmly towards the kitsune to bring him into custody. There was no noise before except for the rustling of tree branches… 'cept… there's no wind. The revelation hits my like a brick to the head and I try to get to my son but before I can take a step or call out his name I hear a sickening crack.

My son goes flying backwards across the clearing, propelled by a tree branch to the head. Finally he skidded onto the grass and came to a stop. Breathing but out for the count. Whipping around to face the demon I can see he's standing now, hand grasping the bark of the tree for support. Through the thick wall of hair his gold eyes glint at me mischievously and when he speaks he's ditched the halting style from earlier.

"Sad mistake… to not freeze the trees. Though I doubt he could… he's only got half the power," the fox sneered, standing a little taller with one hand clutched over his ribs.

"Quit the act kid, I know you don't wanna kill us." Truth be told I am mostly hoping that he doesn't want to kill us because otherwise this could get really bad. He halted once… I find myself doubting I'll be that lucky again. After all, we've backed a damn kitsune into a corner.

"Oh? Then by all means rush me now and capture me!" he laughs, holding out his hands as though to entice me to cuff 'em. I just stare blandly back at him, not wanting to encourage him. "Huh… you didn't move. Guess I'll take my leave then."

"Don't push yourself kid. I know you ain't feelin' too good right now and if you keep goin' on like this you're gonna die," I try and reason with the guy. He doesn't seem dumb just desperate and those are the most dangerous types of people. I'd rather face an idiot any day. I've got lots of practice with them from Urameshi.

"Well it's too bad for you I'd rather die than just turn myself in."

Ah, that was the answer I was scared of. Nothing is harder to deal with than a suicidal criminal... I can deal with somebody when we got something to barter but this? No. Going out on a limb I wildly throw my ideas into the air and hope to get something outta it. Besides a dead Kitsune.

"Hey, that's no way to be talkin'. Won't yer family be sad if you don't come back?" I ask, wondering if Kitsunes had family dynamics like everybody else. Kurama never really went into detail about his old days.

"All I got is my father and I'd leave it up to you to tell him," the Kitsune drawls, "You sure as hell know who he is. In fact he'd just be happy to see an old face."

How could I have been such an idiot? Of course the fox looks familiar he's the spittin' image of Kurama. A very injured, very cocky Kurama. What a terrible concoction. Sighing I just shrug at the kid.

"So you're his kid, huh? I know your dad wouldn't like his son commin' home dead. I also know he wouldn't want you stealin'. You're dad's a good guy and I know you are too," I don't mean to lecture but I can't help it. It's the dad in me coming out. Not like I have an idea where this kid it coming from but hell, I might as well try. Got nothing else to do. All the while I'm inching towards my son.

"Oho? Good to see I'm getting by on daddy's good graces!" The kitsune laughs. God, what did Kurama say his kid was called? It's slipped my mind. I think it started with an Su. Suess? Suzaku? I dunno.

"Not sayin' that. You're just a kid. Let's stop all of this and come to a peaceful conclusion," I pat the air before me like I'm fanning some sorta fire.

"I've got absolutely no reason to believe you. You attacked me, you chased me, and your son sent my flying across the forest." All his points are rather valid. Sighing I let myself deflate for a second and when I speak again I try and sound a little more sincere because I am. The kid had the chance to off me and he didn't. He's not cold blooded.

"Between you an' me we both know… you're just some kid whose gotten in over his head. I dunno what you're problem is with the Spirit Realm but this ain't the way to fix it. So we'll just take a seat and figure it all out together, okay?" I smile at him like I would my own kids and it as soon as I'm done I can see the effect of my words and its gratifyin'. For a brief second all the rage, fear and paranoia is gone from the kids eyes and I see laid bare before me a very scared kid.

'Course… nothing good lasts long. Seconds later his expression snaps back to its paranoid default and all my progress is lost.

"And why the hell should I believe you? I've gotten this far in life not trustin' anybody. It's kept me alive," he argues and once again I feel pity. Sure, the kid's alive but it must be lonely as hell. Speechless, I can't really argue against someone so damn paranoid. Luckily, or maybe not so, I don't have to.

"K… Keichi…?" I hear my son's voice groan. His eyes are still shut so he can't tell he's talking to the kitsune but I can tell he recognized the voice. So the brat's name is Keichi? I coulda sworn it started with a Su.

"Well damn, mutt, I was hoping you wouldn't see me like this," Keichi mutters, his thin hands grasping the trunk of a tree with a fading vigor. Meanwhile my son just lays there on the edge of the ice, exhausted. He doesn't open his eyes and I think it's because he doesn't want to face the truth. It's always harder to bring a friend in, or if not a friend, somebody you know. Just then the kitsune breaks into a pained coughing fit before wiping the blood off the back of his hand on his black clothes.

"What are you doing here?" Samui asks quietly and I can feel the confusion in his voice. He doesn't know the kid's a demon an' I can see it only gettin' worse from here. I try and cut off the conversation but instead the brat just has to speak up. Doesn't he know I'm tryin' to save his tail? Literally!

"Ain't it obvious or are all you half-breeds thick as mud?" the brat asks, his voice mocking as he plants his hands on his hips like some kinda smug bastard. "I'm going to escape! And if either of you think you're going to-"

He's immediately shuts up when the forest explodes in a huge ball of blue light that I know well. Yusuke up to his usual tricks. Or at least that's what I'd think until I felt the spiritual energy suddenly shut off as the ground shook. It wasn't an earthquake, I knew that much. It was something nasty. I know that because it's always something nasty. When I look back I can see the kid looking rather grim.

"Well, I can see my associate is done!" he exclaims before turning to leave. Of course if things were that easy I would die a happy man and would probably never have had a career in the first place as a Spirit Detective. I was ready to leave the kid to run to check on Yusuke and his spawn but I can't account for every variable. As the kitsune races off into the trees Samui sits up in horror and starts glancin' about, searching for his friend's aura no doubt. 'cept it's not there and his eyes fill with horror then… something as close to rage as my son has ever felt.

"MIDORI!" he screams and I barely get out of the way as the ice on the floor splinters upwards like some sorta Indiana Jones booby trap. Somewhere in the forest there's an anguished scream and I know the kitsune was caught off guard. Grabbing my son's wrist I drag him to his feet

"She's fine, you think that'll kill an Urameshi?" I'm mostly reassuring myself of the same fact as I pull him along the ice, the spikes disappearing as fast as I step over them. As we draw closer to the thief I can hear heavy breathing. As hard as it may be.. I gotta be professional. Some measly… earthquake thing… certainly can't kill Yusuke or his spawn and the thief needs to be brought in.

The scene we stumble on ain't pretty. Sprawled out half on, half off a slab of ice was the kitsune, gasping for air as he stares up at the forest canopy. His shaking hands are clutchin' at his legs and I hold back a small, pained hiss. My son's ice attack shredded his legs like cheese to a grater and blood pools up around his body with alarming speed.

"Don't get up!" I caution as Samui starts to recover. He must have felt Midori's aura because he gave a relieved sigh under his breath. Joining him, I know that if Midori's alright so's her dad.

Slipping on the ice, the thief is a sad sight as he struggles to get to his feet but his fingers could gather any traction on his own blood. There's no rage or anythin' in his eyes but some sorta desperation that makes me wonder if I got the whole situation down or not. Without speaking a word I walk over and slap a pair of spirit cuffs on his wrists as his fingers finally loose their anxious grip and cut off from a majority of his power he simply heaves a great sigh and closes his eyes.

"Is he… dead?" Samui asks and he's already startin' to feel guilt. Leaning down I place a finger under his chin and feel a thin pulse. Nodding my head at him I stand up and pull out my communicator. Sure, he'll live but not for long if we don't get him some medical attention. I would have finished making my call when I get a nasty feeling, like when you know what's gonna happen but you can't do jack shit about it. Cracking the thick atmosphere around us in two an unearthly laugh bubbles out of the kid's mouth just as his aura starts dimming.

"Not quite…" the voice commin' from the boy doesn't sound like his usual voice. It's deeper, like it belongs to a way older guy and I glance down at the kid to see a cruel expression twistin' across his face. Sitting up all sudden like, he let his manacled hands hang around his shredded ankles.

"Hey! Stay down or you'll bleed out!" I go to push the boy back but his expression stops me dead in my tracks, and that takes some skill. No, when his eyes settle on me they're not the paranoid eyes of a teenager but something far darker. It might be clichéd to say my blood ran cold but hell, its only the truth. Taking a step back the boy… or should I say the thing? Well anyway, he held up his wrists to glance the cuffs over before giving another chuckle.

"Clever little human but it's no matter," he muses and before my very eyes the spirit cuffs disintegrate into nothingness, leaving him unhampered again as he stands. Blood starts to pool up in the ice again and I know his injuries are nasty as hell. Despite that he pushes himself up to his feet and I have to catch my son by the stomach to keep him from rushing towards the kitsune. We're not dealing with something as simple as an injured demon, we're dealin' with something far worse and I don't want him just rushin' into it.

"Ah… keeping your pathetic little half breed brat from attacking the big bad monster? Smart man, Kazuma. And here I was thinking you were the dumb one! Huh?" the kitsune sudden seemed to falter and he glanced down at his legs as though surprised they were injured. Despite his calm nature I could tell the blood loss was gettin' to him. Maybe there was hope?

"What are you doing!" Samui suddenly starts screamin' at the kitsune who glances over as he struggles to remain upright and calm. I'd say the colour was draining from the demon's face but his kinds are so damn pale anyway I can't tell.

"I'm… standing you fool. And I'm going to be leaving unless you wish… to try and stop me?" his speech is gettin' sloppy as his lips starts to turn ashen at the edges. If he's standin' now he won't be for long and I'm starting to get worried. So's Samui as he speaks up again.

"But you'll kill yourself!" As soon as my son screams that the demon starts to laugh, tossing back his head before faltering again. He takes a second to right himself before leveling his gaze calmly with Samui and you can start to see the change in the kid in the eyes. They're not that warm gold anymore but cold as frickin' Christmas and they have a hard amethyst glint to them the likes of which I haven't seen before. Whatever the hell it is, it isn't the kid I was arguing with just minutes before.

"No no no, my dear boy. I'm not killing myself. I'd say…" he motions down to his legs, "… you're the one killing me."

Its in that second that the situation switches. The air chills rapidly and before I can blink Samui breaks into a heart wrenchin' scream. If I had to equate it to something I have to say it's like his soul was bein' torn in two. Not that I care about that, I've got bigger things to worry about. Rushing over I try and touch my son but my fingers blister instantly from the cold.

"Well your son sure isn't taking this very well, hm?" the monster notes and I growl at him to shut up but he just continues calmly, his voice infuriatin' as I feel the cold begin to pull back from my son's body. He's mutterin' something under his breath and I can barely make it out. Somethin' to do with… not wantin' to kill… which is silly. My son's a pacifist, what would he be doin' killing?

"Don't want to whaaat? Kiiillll?" the demon purrs like a content cat as his sick smiles spreads across his ashy face, "I know all about that. Once you kill there's this small part of you that wants to do it allll over again. Huh?" That damn laugh starts up again but stops and I glance over surprised to see the monster gone behind the quickly dimming eyes and he glances down at Samui as though in a haze.

"Is he… going to be alright?" he asks quietly and I finally place a hand on my own son's back, aching from the chill that emanates off him but it's nothing compared to what was happening only moments ago.

"…" I don't wanna reply because the truth is pretty damn harsh. I don't look back at him again until I hear the sound of ice cracking and I see that the kid is takin' steps towards me slowly, as though just realizin' what the hell he was up to before I look back to my son. Screw the kitsune, I have far more important matters.

"-" he says somthin' but I can't understand the language. I do understand the tone. It's that kinda voice somebody gets when they give up hope but when I glance up again the fox is gone, leaving behind just a puddle of blood. Cussing I slowly draw my hands back from my kid and stand up achingly, caught in a fork in the road.

Not a good day at all. Running off to find Urameshi and Midori I know one of them has got to have a communicator on 'em, because Samui needs help fast. A small part of me wants to chase after the fox but I know he's long gone, and probably dead at this point. And if not dead… well I don't wanna see that monster behind that kid's eyes ever again.

So much for an easy run.

AN: Thanks for reading the latest update, please read and review and let me know what you think. As I am now without a beta reader I would enjoy any comments from you to let me know how I'm doing.


	7. A little bit of history repeatin'

AN: Posting this up rather quick, please enjoy.

I can't find my keys. I'm a shame to all kitsunes as I stand weakly before the front door to my house, hand pressed up against the dark grain wood. It's only because I'm pressing up against the side of the house that I'm able to stand before I finally give in. Placing a shaking thumb over the lock on the handle I crush it like tin foil before letting the now busted door swing open. Stumbling up the stairs I slip into my room between the door and its jam before collapsing onto my bed. Never have I felt so safe in my life. Closing my eyes I throw myself headlong into unconsciousness, if only to kill the pain that has clouded my mind this entire time.

Some undetermined amount time later, as I don't have a working clock in my room, remember, I awake to the sound of breathing. It's not my own breathing because its lighter and I can smell the faint aroma of roses. Damn you eyes, why won't you open! It's like somebody has taped them shut as a stupid prank 'cept I can't lift my hands enough to remove it. A freakish amount of concentration goes into opening my eyes and I'm greeted with a view of my very plain ceiling. As far as things to see when you wake up, its one of the better things. The BEST thing to see would be a naked model holding a billion dollars, but I digress. Now is not the time to be thinking of those things.

The breathing in the room quickens and I hear somebody sit up quickly in my desk chair. I know they're in that chair because it creaks loudly as they rush off it and kneel down beside my bed and I give a pained smile. Or I think it's a pained smile. My face isn't working too well. I wonder why... I didn't get it bashed in too much. Or did I? The entire night seems rather hazy and just as I'm about to try and focus on what the hell DID happen I hear a voice I'm very grateful to hear.

"Keichi? Keichi are you awake?" The voice is eager as hell and I try to crack a smile at the out of focus face of my father. Alas all I can manage is a gruesome grimace. "Dammit what the hell happened! I told you to be careful you idiot!"

He sounds angry, sure, but he's crying openly and I feel bad as hell. I shouldn't have taken the job, sure, but I didn't have a choice to begin with. Pressing my head against my pillow my entire torso tilts a little until I can see the wall behind me. Gently I feel the pressure of his weight against the side of my bed and with some trouble I shift enough to see that he's slumped over the side. Head resting on his arms I manage to lift my hand enough to rest it on his head.

"I tried, I really did," I mutter mostly to myself but every breath I take aches like my ribcage has become two sizes too small. "Who did you get… to patch me up?" Every sentence fragment is broken by shallow breaths. I sound like an old asthmatic fat guy. The reply is muffled and my hearing is already ruined from blood loss so I wait politely and repeat my question.

"Who do you think?"

Strangely, that answer really didn't help. I know. Maybe I'm just dense or deaf or just really really hella injured. Deciding it wasn't worth it to ask the question again and get a probably rather scathing reply I instead take a moment to take stock of my situation. Like the morning after an especially brutal bender I slowly sort out my memories. The most clear memory is breaking into my own house, rather clumsily I might add. Rewinding carefully I remember… very little. Kazuma sticks out in my mind and being handcuffed but the rest is tattered shadows. Probing the nothingness between fighting the spirit detectives and returning home I am instead greeting with a blinding headache as the colour gold rips through my vision.

"… Are you alright?" my father asks, knowing he sounds rather silly. He knows damn well I feel like shit but it's one of those automatic questions. Sure, you saw somebody get hit by a car and their shoe went flying off like a freed bird. You can see they're in pain and probably busted up but the first thing you says is 'Are you alright", usually in conjecture with "holy shit!".

"How the hell… did I get home…?"

"How should I know? I wake up this morning to see that a horror movie was filmed in my house. Your blood is everywhere! How badly did you mess this up! I knew I shouldn't have let you go…"

Dad's wringing his hands now, an unstable mixture of worried and furious parent, as he paces across the length of my room. I try and follow him but it only hurts my eyes and I close them, trying to block out the light. 

"Can we please… do this later…? I need rest…" I groan. The rhythmic pacing stops but I don't hear my father leave. Instead there's the sound of my office chair creaking as he sits down in it. Any other day I would be nervous having someone in the room with me while I sleep, it's a paranoia thing. Sure, I know he won't steal from me because he's my dad but old habits die hard. It's not just the stealing thing either; I know I'm not a nice, happy sleeper. Last thing I want people to see is me crying for no good reason. I've built a reputation around being a snarky jerkass, news like that could ruin me. This isn't any other day though and so I find comfort in his presence.

One memory comes back to me from the large portion missing of my life and I find it funny that it's not even a new memory. Just a rehash of an old one. Maybe part of my life flashing before my eyes, though it's a little late for that. I survived after all. I keep seeing myself as 5 years old, standing in the doorway while I hear my mother crying. She did that a lot of that when I was a child. In fact there's hardly a memory I have of where she isn't in tears over one thing or another so I find it hardly surprising that she's upset this time as well. Still I remember the door slamming shut on me… and then darkness. Perhaps it's all just my faulty memory. I don't remember a lot of my childhood, I'll admit but I highly doubt anybody remembers their younger years all that well.

After an indeterminate period of time I wake again and my eyes open more readily this time. Light streams in through my window and I realize that either I've napped for a short period of time, or into the next day. Or the day after that. There's no real way to tell. Taking a deep breath I feel my sore and aching ribs press down on my lungs and I release the breath with a low hiss. So much for waking up and feeling all better. Demonic healing or not my injuries were substantial enough to render me almost comatose.

"What happened out there?" I hear my father ask from across the room and I tilt my head ever so slightly so I can catch his figure leaning against my desk. As always it's easy to find him, his brilliant red hair catches the light like a bonfire.

"A lot of stuff, the mission got busted up to hell when the spirit detectives arrived," I groaned, pushing myself up on my elbows and easing into a sitting position. It'd be an understatement to say that every muscle in my body hurt. Most of the damage seems to be situated on my legs and I lift my bedding cautiously to see the damage. Layers of bandages and gauze wrap up my legs all the way to hem of my boxer shorts. A hiss escapes from between my teeth as the shadow of my father falls over my lap.

"When I found you your legs had been pretty much shredded and haphazardly patched up using ice to seal the wounds. Needless to say there was some damage," he drawls and I wince, letting the sheets fall back down to hide the view. Last thing I want to do is think about what it looks like under all the gauze. "So explain, start from the beginning. Like, oh I don't know, tell me why on earth you decided to become a criminal."

"You're just going to get angry."

"A little late for that, Suekeichi. So start from the beginning and maybe I won't turn you into Koenma right now," He threatens and I back down immediately. Anybody who knows my father knows just how terrifying he can be and the last thing I want to do is try and take him on. Wilting like cooked spinach I sigh and begin to explain the whole ordeal. How I helped an assassin steal a weapon that might or might not destroy the world, got caught by the Spirit Detectives, fought off a class mate and a friend of my father and… well that's about it. The rest is missing. I remember rather distinctly ice shards ripping at my legs and passing out from blood loss. And then I remember breaking into my own home.

"You expect me to believe you have amnesia?" my father frowns and I sigh. I know exactly how it sounds, all too convenient. "So why do all of this? You're not a dumb kid so why on earth did you decide to be an idiot!" He's frustrated. It's hard to tell, he doesn't really lose his composure to anger or anything, but there are simple hints. A glint of gold in his eyes, a clenched jaw, those are the easy hints. It's harder to note the deepening of the voice, the way his steps become slower, heavier with his deliberation.

"It's because… because of ma," I mutter under my breath, calling her by the familial term even though it sounded rusty and forced. There's a silence between us that makes me nervous until I finally clear my throat. Still, he beats me to speaking.

"This is about Arisa. How dumb do you think I am?" he crosses his arms over his chest angrily. Wincing I begin to slide back under my covers, longing to pull them over my head and go back to sleep but I know I can't. I'm a coward but I know when running will just get me gunned down.

"I didn't say I did it FOR her. I did it because of her," I snap, feeling backed into a corner. Backing off my father still doesn't let his arms drop from his chest but he does at least stop glaring. "The assassin… they know where her tree is and there were gonna cut it down. They had planned on threatening you but got us mixed up."

"And… what? I can handle myself you know. In fact I'm pretty sure your mother could handle herself too!"

He's not angry anymore, he's more confused. Giving an exasperated sigh he takes a seat next to my bed as I scowl down at my sheets. Just once I'd like a thank you. It's not like I don't know what I did was dumb, it was just the best option at the time. This is what I get for thinking of others. I get injured, berated and my entire life might be over. So much for being the good guy.

"Keichi… you can't keep doing this. Reckless behavior isn't good for anybody, least of all you. What happened to have a peaceful year? It's not too much to ask for is it?" he sighs, letting his head tilt back to stare at my ceiling, like he can't even bring himself to look directly at me anymore. "I can't take my own son to the hospital. This type of stress can't be good for me." He's not so much talking to me anymore, he's just lamenting to himself. I don't like when he does this, I get the impression that I become something akin to furniture at this point. Without another word he stands up and replaces the chair under my desk. He pauses at my bedside and places a hand on my head. Maybe it's just me but he seems heavier than usual. It's like I can feel the weight of his responsibility upon the crown of my head and he heaves a sigh of truly epic proportions.

"If only your mother was here," he sighs before leaving, his hand lagging behind and it leaves me reluctantly. The door clicks shut behind him as he leaves me alone and I find myself left feeling bitter. I don't see why I need my mother in this equation, I've done just fine without her.

My memories of her are faded, as I stated earlier, but I know enough from what I can piece together from fragmented images and stories from those around her. Perhaps I'm just jaded that she suffered from severe psychosis after my birth. Don't get me wrong I don't blame myself, I blame her for not being strong enough to over come it. Petty, yes, but I've never admitted to being anything better. Sure, what I did was dumb but my father would have done the same thing to save her life and I know he knows it. That's probably why he hasn't turned me in yet.

Which bring up an interesting point. I'm damn sure that that idiot Kuwabara figured out who I am, in fact I know he did. I admitted to being my father's son and all that. Why wasn't the door to my house being busted down? Why aren't I being brought in to answer for my crimes? Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth I just want to know how fast I need to heal, just in case I need to make a break for it. I'm exhausted all over again, who knew thinking could be so exhausting.

I can't quite tell when I fell asleep as my own life seems to transition neatly into dreams. A small memory comes back to me, of the assassin. After the fight, I think it's after the fight, the Kuwabaras are nowhere to be found, I laid out on the grass while the blood loss attempted to wrest consciousness away from me. Then as I blinked they appeared above me, their dark mass filling my vision and I think humorously to myself that they could be mistaken a grim reaper. Some death vision. Sharply she shoves the sword I'd stolen into my weak arms and tells me I need to deliver the item to a friend of their family for safe keeping. I argue that I can hardly stand, let alone run but I regret the retort instantly as they seals the wounds on my legs shut using ice. There's another fun threat against my life, my father's life, my mother's life and just about anybody else I've ever known.

I wake up after realizing that the pain in my legs in the dream wasn't from the dream. Groaning I roll to my side then regret it instantly, feeling my ribs groan in protest. Having heard the noise in my room I hear a small knock on the door, though my father comes in right after, negating the whole knocking thing. It must be another day, he's dressed in different clothes and there's a bowl of rice in one hand, the chopstick pinned against the rim. After delicately placing it on my computer table he casts me a glance that I can't quite place.

"Listen… for what it's worth… I'm sorry," I sigh, sliding my throbbing legs over the side of my bed before rolling up the pants legs and tearing off the gauze. The cuts were not as deep as I remembered, they were healing over quickly. Its times like this I don't hate being a demon.

"I know," he replies quietly, tossing me a new roll of bandages that I catch clumsily. My coordination is off and I realize that if the spirit detectives were going to choose now to take me in I wouldn't stand a chance.

"Who did you get to patch me up?" I groan, easing carefully onto my feet before immediately dropping back to my bed with a growl. Okay, not so ready to stand yet. But I was close, with any luck I'd be back at school soon enough.

"Same as always, he left you some stuff on your desk," he says, bringing over the bowl of rice to me and I take it gratefully. I'm starving. Shoveling my first bite into my mouth greedily I note that it's rather plain, just a sprinkling of rice wine vinegar for flavour but I prefer it that way. No need to ruin perfectly good rice with all sorts of sauces.

"So am I grounded?"

Having food settle in my stomach helps the return of my usual sense of humour but my father seems hardly amused as he sits at the base of my bed. He doesn't look to me immediately but gazes as the floor before shaking his head.

"Not now. Right now I'm just glad I haven't lost my son. We'll discuss punishments later."

Caught off guard he suddenly pulls me into an embrace, face buried into the top of my head, hands clutching hardly at my shoulders. Still, I don't shrug away or complain about being sappy. I'm not ashamed to admit I find comfort in this hug. I hear it often at school that nobody would miss me if I died but I know it's not true in this moment. Forgetting my lack of memory for the time being, if you can do such a thing, I just sit still and breathe deep the scent of my father, a fine mix of wet soil, roses and crushed moss.

It's another day until I can stand and walk well enough to go school. I wake early and eat my toast in the kitchen while my father finishes off his cereal and packs his briefcase. With a wish for a good day at school he leaves, eager to be at the community college early to set up the latest lab for the class. I thought my memory might return with more sleep but there is still nothing. My reflection in the window is a sorry sight, my uniform for once neatly buttoned closed, hiding as many bandages as possible but the few on my face still stand out. Sighing, I pull my eye patch out of my breast pocket and run a thumb over the thing. It's made of thick raw silk, a dark green that matches its sister eye and I remember fondly when I made it, stitching the little white x near the bottom. Tying it over my face I check everything over before placing my dish into the sink and leaving, careful to lock the door behind me.

Every walk is slow and awkward and the sunlight is a little too harsh for me. You might recall that I have two perfectly good eyes and this is indeed true, under the patch my left eye is still in its socket. When I was a kid, and a dumb one at that, I injured the eye with a letter opener, it's a long story. I won't go on about it, as I have far better things to do with my time but lets just say that it healed over just fine. Well fine enough, no matter how hard I tried when shape shifting the blasted eye is always a fox eye. This would give my whole being human ruse up kinda quickly, so hence the eye patch. I've made a game of making up how I "lost" my eye, telling a new story every time somebody asks. You'd think somebody would get wise about it.

Class looks the same as it was before I left and I explain to my teacher that I couldn't be in class due to being horribly injured in an accident on my bike. I know she hates me but she can't argue with the proof. Muttering something about how I probably just got my sorry ass kicked deservedly by other students I shrug and take my seat. Next to me the desk is empty and I frown. Blue hair hardly seems the type to miss class, he's a nerd to the highest cliché. Not so much worried as just curious I wonder if he's out hunting me and the assassin down. Maybe coming to class wasn't the right thing to do. I'm a sitting duck here.

Worry disappears though as on my way to P.E class I see Midori and I can't help but say that she looks like shit. Her skin looks like a bad water colour painting it so blotchy and her eyes have puffed up like she's been crying for weeks. Maybe she has. Still it's unsettling to see any expression besides ass kicking fury on her and despite myself I'm too curious not ask why.

"So where's your friend? Shouldn't Blue-san be sitting next to me, ignoring me in class and keeping you from killing me?" I ask nonchalantly but I shouldn't have. Immediately she bursts into loud heavy cries in the empty hallways as class starts without us. Before I can react she's grabbing onto me, hands digging into my shoulders with a sort of desperation I haven't felt since my father this morning. It's the hands of somebody afraid of loss. I can't speak, hands up in the air like a criminal being held up by the police as she hugs me, crying into my collar.

"Jeeeeesus Midori, what the hell is amatter with you?" I ask a little too loudly, eager to leave. Her first response is muffled by my clothes but she seems to figure it out and takes a deep breath, pushing her face just a bit away.

"It's S-s-samui!" she sobs, wringing her hands, "We.. were… he got hurt. Very badly hurt, he hasn't woken yet!"

I'll admit I'm surprised. Must have been that assassin who really messed the kid up. After all, I remember having my ass kicked by the damn half demon and his father before I blacked out so obviously I couldn't have hurt him.

"What the hell were you doing that he got hurt that badly? Testing our your latest fighting techniques again him?"

I feign innocence easily enough as she finally removes herself from me. She's a wreck like I've never seen before. Swallowing dryly she just shivers to herself as she wraps her hands around her perfect hips and takes gasping, sobbing breaths. More curious to get the information I'm missing than anything else I motion for her to take a seat on the floor and she does so gratefully, knees buckling under her. With great strain I manage to half fall, half slip onto the floor without tearing open the wounds on my legs.

"How pathetic is it… that I… I'm talking to you?" she asks me, wiping her nose off on the back of her hand.

"I'm better than nobody. So why don't you explain just what you wild kids were up to," I motion for her to continue her story with a wave of my hand.

And explain she does. Words come gushing out of her like a broken faucet and I sit there stunned for a second as she rattles off her story like a machine gun on auto fire. She'd stolen her dad's pocket communicator and joined the Spirit Detectives, dragging Blue-san along with her rather eagerly and combined the four of them, the kids and their father, were sent after me and the assassin. What a lovely thing for those rookies to deal with. Also ironic that Urameshi and Kuwabara were having to take down yet another thieving Minamino now that I think about it. Hah, isn't the universe just _so damn funny_? Or not.

The assassin fight sounded like a tough one, with lots of firing the spirit gun off at random directions and hoping that that certain shadow housed the minute little killer and the large boom I remember that allowed me time to run away for a little bit, before being caught by Kuwabara, was caused an overcharged spirit gun shattering a tree. They were knocked unconscious by the assassin in the confusion and curiously spared. Not their usual M.O I would guess and I want to tell her how damn lucky she is but I know it'd blow my cover. I'm not that dumb you know, so… puh-lease. By the time they regrouped Kuwabara was attempting to get his son so wake up but could barely touch the half breed for the cold aura that surrounded him. Somehow, she didn't explain well enough just how, they got him to the Spirit Realm and he was undergoing treatment… but no progress was being made.

It all made sense now! I was nearly killed; the assassin had rushed over from the other fight, saved me and somehow royally messed up the mutt and his father. Perfect explanation for it. So why am I so uncomfortable with it? Somewhere deep down I get the feeling that despite all my logic and justifications I had something to do with. The story is still over but we sit quietly, the tip of her battered sneaker touching the tip of my cross trainers. If I had nothing to do with why do I feel so damn guilty?

"How did you get busted up?"

"Huh?" I look up at her and she points to my face.

"Who kicked your ass, I want to thank them," she states plainly and I give a terse smile, preparing my explanation before looking off, the expression dropping from my face like a lead balloon.

"I just got busted, that's all." I mean it in both sense of the word. Let it never be said I don't feel guilt, I sure as hell do I'm just better than most at ignoring it. Somehow I can't shove this back and there's this nasty little nagging voice at the back of my head, a sly inner self that seems to purr _it's all because of you and you knooooow it_ even though I can't explain how I'd ever get a comeback from my legs being julienne-d like a bowl of green beans. A quick glance at my watch lets me know there's only another 20 minutes in gym but even now I know what I gotta do.

"Well that's a shitty story," she complains but I shrug.

"Hey, can you do a favour for me?" I ask and she pauses, wary. "It won't take long. I just want you to deliver something to my father for me. If you don't mind. I have… something to do after school and just gotta get a note to my father."

She doesn't mind, but she has to be off to see Blue-san as fast a possible, she heard that he might be getting better. While she rattles off about how it's sad that she had to spill her guts to me and everything I pull out a piece of sheet paper and carefully pen a note to my father. I don't want to mention any of my crimes in it, in case she peeks.

_I'm taking responsibility for my actions; I probably won't be home tonight and expect a call. Sorry for doing this but I have little choice. You can ground me when I come back. Food in the fridge._

I sign it quickly and fold it four times before handing it over.

"You know where my house is right?" I ask and she nods her head.

"I've been in school with you for ages and always wanted to beat you up. Of course I know where you live," she states taking the note from me before giving me yet another surprise hug. I'm not used to this much friendly contact. Even at home the closest my father and I usually get is leaning a shoulder against the other while watching T.V. My mother certainly was never one of the "huggy" types and Kai always treated me more like an adult. We'd only shake hands or pat each other on the back.

Wait… how the hell does what she's said justified knowing where I live? Oh of course, she must have stalked me a few times to get a feel for my route home. So she could beat me up. Of course. Wow do I feel safe. Feeling immeasurably heavy I carefully push myself off the floor using the nearby lockers for support before stretching my arms.

"Hope Blue-san gets better, I need to crush him in debate first," I state loudly before walking off, leaving Midori with my letter.

As I head through the halls I'm stopped near the doors and in the main office by a gentle tug on my sleeve. I glance down to see a meek girl I remember only vaguely from being in my class. She's a small thing, about the size of a child but around my age. She's hard to remember as her hair always covers one half of her face with a white streak of a bang and her electric blue eye stares at me. Surprised I attempt to jerk my sleeve out of her finger pinch but she doesn't relent. What was her name again? I've forgotten, I'm so bad at remember names.

"Please, don't do it," she implores and I stand there confused. Don't do what.. turn myself in? Fearing that she's figured me out I then notice that I'm near the exit of the school. Laughing out loud a little and surprising her I rationalize that she's trying to get me to not skip the rest of school.

"Bah, shove off. I'm too good for this school anyhow," I state with my usual arrogance and finally wretch myself away from her. Leaving I don't turn back to see her. No wonder I don't take notice of her in school, she's a creepy little shrinking violet.

Outside the gates of the school I take a deep breath. I'm going to turn myself in myself in for my crimes. A simple enough goal. Maybe if I'm lucky I get off on parole with my father if I manage to catch the damn assassin. Well that should be easy right?

Heh, well what do you know? Like father like son. Though my father was a far more noble man than I, I just want to assuage my guilt, if only a little. Not even sure what to be guilty of, I head off to ruin the rest of my life for stupid selfish reasons. Just another day you could say.

AN: And that's it, my apologies to not responding to reviewers, I'll get around to it soon, for this chapter and the last, please let me know how I'm doing and your opinions and such. It's been hectic lately, but I hope a quick update will make up for it, maybe?


	8. Just Another Service I Offer

-AN: Without further ado, please enjoy the next chapter.

I was aware that the boy was in my office, though it came as a surprise. I hardly expected the boy to have inherited the talent for portals from his mother, as he seemed to have inherited little else from her. This was not the first time that he had visited without prior notice though, though last time I had seen him he was just a small child, hardly over the age of 5 though its hard to pin his exact date of birth.

The day I first met him I had been tending to my own duties, as I often do because nobody does their fair share of work around here! Well maybe that's not too fair, George certainly pulls his weight I'd say. Still, you can't blame me for being a little sore that all I ever see is paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. It's maddening. So I had not been expecting anything exciting to be happening that day, everything had been running smoothly. The various scattered sects of Rekai Tentai were tending to their own duties diligently. This was right before the news of demons and such went public, do you can understand how much I miss those sorts of days.

Regardless of how nice it was though it's hardly an excuse for what happened next. I was just minding my own business when behind me I heard a rather resounding little voice.

"BOO!"

Obviously startled (wouldn't you be? Be honest!) I looked frantically for the speaker but found nothing. Nerves rattled I returned my gaze to my work to see a small face peering over the edge of my desk. It was nearly hidden under the large mane of auburn hair that was cut roughly around the face.

"Who are you?" I demand but the child just giggles and pushes itself a little higher up on the desk to get a better look at me, I'd assume. Vibrant, but familiar, green eyes stare at me in immature interest and I am hardly amused. What does it say about my security when a kid can get into my office? I'd have to discuss this with the guards later.

"Hiya!" the kid moves oddly as he dropped to the floor, as though he legs gave out under him. I leaned over the desk to get a better look and noticed that he moved on all fours like some sort of animal. With just a few lopsided bounds he made his way to the side of my chair and sat there patiently like a pet, head tilted to one side. "Hiya!"

"Yes, you've already said that. Who are you?" I asked, wondering if this was some sort of joke. That nagging voice in the back of my head let me know that it wasn't.

"I can't say my name too well! It's LOOOOOOONG," the little kid howls loudly before dissolving into a peal of giggles. I mostly wanted to know its name to help determine its gender. It's damn hard to tell it on kids that young and the clothing choice wasn't helping. What happened to a pair of pants for boys, a dress for girls? No, this kid was wearing a baggy green yukata that modestly covered between the legs while it crouched there like some sort of feral animal.

"Well what am I supposed to call you then?" I asked, irritable as babysitting is a waste of my precious time. Did I mention how much paperwork I have to do? You think I can just drop everything for some lost child? No. The answer is no.

"Keichi! It's short!" the little kid, now revealed to be a boy, cackled. He took a few small steps on all fours to the side before settling into a seating position. I racked my brain to try and remember the name but fail. I didn't know of anybody of any real importance with that name. More importantly, I certainly didn't know of anybody with that name who would be able to get past my guard.

"That it is. Why are you here?" It is rather foolish to think back on this now. I certainly shouldn't have expected much of an explanation from the child who couldn't even manage to walk on two feet. A frown crossed his little face as he glanced to the door.

"Mum took me along! I like to travel," he nodded his head with all sincerity and flashed a toothsome smile. For a normal looking kid he certainly had a demonic smile with some impressive carnivorous teeth. "I don't like The House. It's got too many doors!" he whined loudly, falling to his side on the floor and sprawling out.

"And just who exactly is your mother?" I asked, eager to be rid of the child back to his irresponsible mother. Don't people know I have a serious job! Maybe I don't have time to be looking after every idiot that wanders in. Just saying. I get no respect, I swear.

"A cypress tree."

I waited to see if the child was joking before considering my options. Obviously the kid might be insane, homeless or maybe his mother really was a cypress tree. Going through my head I think back on every kodama I happen to know, then the ones that are female. That narrowed it down surprisingly fast.

"You're… Arisa's child?" I asked nervously. Arisa was a kodama I'd have preferred not to deal with at the moment, not that tree spirits are a lot of fun to muck around with normally. They're get a bit… abstract with time as they get older you could say. Still, they served an important function, as one of them at a time was chosen for 500 years to be The Guardian. The latest one was obviously this child's mother which I found astounding. Kodama hardly had children, for obvious reasons.

Oh they're not that obvious to you are they? Well, where on earth have you been? Get up to speed. I see it's up to me to explain everything. Again. I swear this is all I ever do. Kodama are considered gods of the land and have their own temples built for them and are given land to look over. They come around by either having a human bind its soul to a tree through one of the other gods help, or they cut off a branch and make a sapling. We'd prefer if they didn't have children the normal way, though most of the saplings don't even have genders so it's not a problem. The last thing we need is for every ex-human kodama who felt the urge popping out little baby gods because it's hard to tell how the power will react with the other half of the equation. If they're human, than it's fine. It's just kind of frowned upon. I mean, the kid's gonna be a little gifted but hardly a threat, they usually choose to become a full tree spirit later anyway. On the off chance that the other partner is a demon though hell can, and has, broken loose. Demons don't mix with gods for damn good reasons, if you'll pardon my French.

As powerful as gods are (and for all intensive purposes the Kodama titled with The Guardian is one) they're limited. You get a massive block of power but no real room for improvement, which is fine and all. In terms of geeks I suppose you'd say gods are Lawful Good. The things about demons though are that they're chaotic as hell. One itty bitty useless demon can rise to immense power through will power and anybody with that lineage can pull the stunt in a pinch. The one thing you really don't want to do (and trust me, you _really_ don't want to mess with this, the paperwork alone is a nightmare) is get a god together with a demon. End of story. All the power of god… all the unpredictability of a demon. Just _wonderful_.

There are no official rules on the matter, per say, if there were I'd know about them. The whole bureaucracy gig is sorta my _thing_ you know. That's maybe why we still get them popping up but with less and less frequency. Executions like that tend to get around and nobody is rather keen on getting their children killed right off the get go. So naturally I'm immediately curious as to whom the father is. As far as I knew Arisa had only one lover and I was rather hoping that I was wrong. Last thing we needed was a mix of god and kitsune. Fox _yokai_ are temperamental enough as it is. This is why I really needed (and still need, thankyouverymuch) a vacation. I deal with too much for this little amount of thanks. I don't even get paid. Yeah and you thought YOUR job sucks.

So I watched the child as he crawled about the floor like some awkward little animal. At least he didn't seem too bright. He must be at least three or four years old, if not five, and he can't even walk on two feet. Hardly an intimidating figure. He sat there puzzling over my question for a bit, scratching at the back of his head and I wondered if he had fleas.

"My mum's name _is_ Arisa! D'ya know her? Lots of people know her!" he giggled. I wanted to tell him it's not funny and it's certainly not a game. He doesn't seem to get it though as he creeps over to me again and with some effort manages to push himself up to his feet using the arms of my chair to hold onto.

"And who is your father?" I asked, leaning a little closer to him to try and intimidate him. It's actually very hard to be intimidating when you're me. So cut me some slack. The kid wasn't impressed and simply shrugged.

"I dunno. Do I need one? I got Kai."

Of course the little brat wouldn't know his father. Arisa may be flawed and crazy, but she sure knew how to stretch her clever. This way if the father was who I thought it was, I wouldn't be able to tell. The child even sensed fully human. As far as anybody was concerned the dad could be any human wandering around the planet. Wonderful. It didn't make me any less nervous.

"Hey!"

The little brat was nearly jumping with excitement and I was hardly in the mood to be entertaining a half crazed, possibly mentally challenged child. His entire body was wiggling in excitement.

"HEY!" he repeated it again and I knew he was going to continue on this pattern until I went crazy or hit him. Possibly both of these occurring at the same time.

"What?" I asked, eager to find his mother and get him out of my hair. Immediately the kid fell to the ground in a fit of laughs. Must have taken him a good five minutes to calm himself down and I had returned to my paperwork before he finally quieted down. Glancing over, curious to see if maybe he'd passed out or something, No instead he had crouched close to the floor and was sniffing the air like some sort of dog. Or maybe fox… that thought alone would cost me a few weeks of rest.

"My mother is coming! I ran away from her to play Hide and Seek! You wanna play?" He asked while quivering again in excitement, maybe fear. I would rule for the latter now that I think about it, now that I have all the data. Back then I didn't so I thought he was just some annoying little kid. Of course I didn't want to play with him, I'm certainly not a child. Stop laughing.

"I have work to do," I tried to explain but it didn't work, he was immediately the portrait of crestfallen as he pouted while sitting on the floor.

"You sound like mother! C'mooooon!"

Ah, that familiar pang of guilt. Not wanting to be seen as a completely heartless bastard I gave in and waved him off with my hand.

"Okay okay, that's fine," I turned away when I heard the sounds of foot steps growing louder and I assumed it was his mother. Looking back I wanted to ask him how long I was supposed to count but then he was gone. I gave up, deciding it wasn't worth my time and I'd let his mother deal with it.

And speak of the devil, she burst into the room loudly with her usual pomp and circumstance. She looked a lot like her son, with an immense cloud of auburn hair and bright blue and brown eyes that were clouded with frustration. Even though she was in the room a good third of her dress was still trailing behind her and I snorted quietly to myself. Most gods went to great lengths to look impressive and… well… godly for lack of a better word but in the end it was just silly. You don't see me looking ridiculous twenty four seven in overly elaborate clothes. Of course she always had a taste for the dramatic. That explained her life rather neatly.

But that's a story for another day. I'd rather not venture onto the touchy subject of her. No, what I was musing about was her son.

I was acutely aware the moment he entered my office but I didn't think he was going to be a threat. What's surprising though is that he no longer senses as a human but just like his father. And by that I mean for all intensive purposes he might as well be a full kitsune. Of course… Arisa was always a tricky one and very talented with seals so it naturally makes sense that she'd seal her only child into a human form. Guess that must have worn off. Must have come to a surprise to the boy and I wish I could have seen his face, or at least a picture of his reaction.

"Well well, looks who's returned," I drawl, pushing aside my latest bit of paperwork. Catching the crooks who stole _that_ sword is by far more important. Being behind on my workload isn't too big of a deal, it happens. Losing another item of my father's though… well you get the picture. I won't be able to sit of weeks if I don't get it back ASAP.

"Oh? Did I come here before? Forgive me if I don't remember," the kid, Keichi, replies lightly as he steps into view. It's been awhile since I've seen a kitsune and rather humorously he's still dressed in his street clothes. Must be painful to have a tail and wear a pair of jeans. Wondering if his long shirt was covering low slung pants for that very reason I sigh and step out from behind my desk.

"None of that matters now, what exactly are you doing here?" I ask, crossing my arms as sternly as possible. I know what he's doing here; he's going to pull the same stunt his father did. Normally catching a… child… like him doing a crime is punishable by death. Nobody likes the union of a god and a demon, so at the first legal offense they're usually taken out. He probably has no clue exactly what he's doing but he hardy looks the type to think things through. Perhaps he's not so much like his father then?

"I'm here to turn myself in for… I dunno… helping a crazy assassin steal a possibly, most likely, in all likelihood, very dangerous weapon," he shrugged, pulling a hair tie out of his pocket and attempting to tame his hair into a ponytail.

"You sure you really want to do this? You are aware of the consequences," I ask slowly, making it seem as though I thought he was stupid. I know he's not stupid, he's just an idiot. The difference is that unlike some people I've come across _*coughUrameshicough*_ he has a perfectly functional and dare I even say genius brain… he just lacks all the common sense in the world to use it. Or maybe he's planned this all along and is some great chess master. Then I remember that his is the same kid who couldn't walk on two feet at the age of 4. I think it was four. Who knows?

"Of course I want to do this, I can't very well walk out of here now," he replies lightly but it's easy to tell that he's nervous. The downside to being an animal demon is that body language is painfully easy to read when you have a tail and ears that tend to have a mind all their own.

For my own pride I don't tell him that if he could sneak into my place as a child, and then again when he's a punky teenager he could probably find a way out of here. Of course then I'd know who to look for, and exactly where he lives. Not like I'd want to try and storm THAT house. The garden alone would be devastating and I don't want to know what type of potted plant a family like the Minaminos would keep.

"Yes well…" I pause. Suddenly I'm in a rather unique situation. I could turn the boy in, now that his demonic heritage is very much obvious. But then again who says I want to do that? A live kitsune is worth oh so very much more than a dead one and my new team could use a thief. Of course at this point if I have an Urameshi, a Kuwabara and now a Minamino, I might as well try and get a child of Hiei's for the complete set. Wouldn't that be funny? Or not.

"Well…? Gonna keep me hanging all day? I have a killer set of math problems waiting for me when I get back home and I'd rather find out if I need to worry about them," he drawls calmly putting on a good show. I have to make a decision on him sooner rather than later and I finally decide to put a criminal to good use. After all it's worked out so well in the past.

There was sarcasm in there somewhere, I'm sure of that.

"First things first, let's have you help my detectives catch your partner. Once you do that then I'll consider cutting you a deal," I shrug nonchalantly, as though I really don't care. I do care, I'm nervous as hell but I don't have a tail to show it.

"You want me to turn on my partner? Just what sort of scum do you think I am!" He asks indignantly but I just stare him down calmly before he bursts out into quiet sniggers. Doubling over he slaps his knee a few times before wiping a tear from one eye. "Aw man, I'm just shittin' you. Yeah, I was gonna suggest that for a bartering chip anyhow."

"So you know where to find this assassin?"

"Of course, they still need to give me my payment," he shrugs, "I'll lead your detectives there and hell, I'll even throw in me fighting alongside them. I just want some things in return," he holds up a hand and I scowl.

"I'm letting you live, that's pretty generous. But I'm listening."

"I don't want the assassin's money, I got enough of that at home. I want information on what happened to the Kuwabara boy during his first mission. I hear he's hospitalized and I want any information you get on it, when you get it," he looks instantly serious and I'm caught a little off guard. I would have expected something more extravagant from him but I can tell he's not messing around. This isn't something he's going to compromise on. Just like his father with those eyes, I'd say.

"May I ask why?" I don't expect him to agree and I'm right. He doesn't say anything but his glare speaks volumes, or rather… it yells his response across the distance between us with hurricane force winds. "Fine, it's a deal. I'll bring the detectives in, I'm sure they'll be keen to meet their new teammate."

Again, sarcasm.

"Does this mean that the Kuwabara boy is better?" he asks and I wonder what his vested interest is but I don't ask any further. He seems hardly in the best of moods, especially from when he first stepped into my view.

"He's functioning, which is better I suppose. Out of curiosity, is that why you took that form? So they wouldn't recognize you as Keichi?" I ask, waving my hand up and down to indicate exactly what I'm talking about and he shrugs, flipping the long ponytail over one shoulder and zipping up his grey hoodie.

"I'm a vain creature, so sue me. There's been a lot of work put into my persona at school. If word gets out that the famous bigot is actually a full blooded kitsune well…" I want to correct him, let him know that he's hardly full kitsune he just SEEMS full kitsune but I don't want to burst his bubble. Last thing the kid (or should I say kit) needs is to find out he's an abomination with an outstanding warrant for his execution. I'll save that for another day. Maybe tomorrow, who knows? I mean, he's gonna be around the area while I fill out the paperwork to get him transferred to parole with the Rekai Tentai.

"Well good luck keeping that secret. Would you mind stepping out while I call in your new teammates?" I don't so much ask as demand with a question mark but still. He shrugs and walks out of the room with a two fingered salute and I sigh.

Ah well, so much for trying to get a good break from work. Well who needs good health anyway? I mean, what do you get out of it? Besides ya know… happiness and such. Still, might as well call in the junior troopers, so to speak. I just hope that Samui can handle the strain. If not Midori could definitely pick up the slack. It's not like anything could go wrong.

Again, sarcasm.

AN: Thanks for reading, please review if you feel so inclined, I do love hearing feedback of all kinds. I know I've been drowning you readers in updates, but I hope it makes up for being dead for so long.


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